Blood on the Beach

[Kay-Larr]

All that she wanted was a bit of a vacation.

Times had been rough. After the Occupation and Liberation of Commenor, coupled with delegating the responsibilities of the system to others; that Kay would have it easy.

But she didn't.

Some meetings had gone well. People were looking for their place in the grand scheme of things. The planet was being rebuilt. Even Commenor's two moons were starting to bustle with activity.

But with all of that goodness, there were bad parts too. The first intergalactic meeting between leaders and representatives from other governments had become a shambles. At first Kay had expected to be ridiculed either to her face or in hushed tones when she'd walk by. Yet the unexpected had happened. The same Sith Empire that had taken over her home had arrived, leaving a sickening feeling in her stomach. So she couldn't stay.

Perhaps it was all too soon for her to be in the public eye again, especially without the support of her family along with her. They were all doing their own thing elsewhere in the Galaxy, finding their own lives and reaching a fulfillment that she couldn't give. That their home couldn't give.

So she needed a vacation.

Just going to their hidden Estate wouldn't be enough. It'd be an empty home that was only a reminder of the loneliness and isolation that she had felt.

For a time Kay went back to her old ways of liberating slaves and fighting against such oppression. Yet for all the good that it did, she still felt empty and less alive than before.

So she searched for a perfect vacation.

********************​

A day later, not long after the rising of the morning sun, a woman's body was found on the beach of Rocky Point Bay outside of Chasin City on Commenor by a couple out for their daily run. It lay right on the edge of the pebbled beach and the thick grass. Some ash and soot covered various parts of the body, derived from the remains of a little campfire.

This was no natural death. It wasn't even accidental. There were clear signs of a struggle. Not only that, but the woman's neck had been twisted so unnaturaly that the face was in the ground, while the body was facing upwards.

One of the joggers cautiously approached the body. There was so sign of breath or life. The skin tone was evident of that. Curiosity led him to see just who the unfortunate victim was. He carefully turned the head so that the face was no longer in the dirt, moving the strands of brown hair away.

The jogger fell back, startled as dead eyes looked up at him. Where the pupils were once black and full of life, they were now grey with clumps of tiny gravel stuck to them. He looked to his companion, gasping for breath. "It's...it's the Queen.....The Queen is dead....the Queen is DEAD!"

Quickly the two joggers sprinted for help, authorities, anything. The weight of the news that they had to bear was unbelievable and devastating. What would happen to their planet now?

*********************​

The night before, Kay had taken her speederbike out for a ride along the beach. She had liked going fast, to feel the wind as it blew through her hair and threatened to blow her off the bike if she wasn't holding on well enough. And when she drove over water, the wake that she left behind would have soaked anyone that would have dared to ride behind her.

Taking a break, she had decided to warm herself back up with a campfire on the beach. The night was cool, the stars twinkling in the dark.

As she was just getting settled, a cloaked figure stepped forward. Kay hadn't sensed him at all, as though the Force couldn't detect him. In a matter of moments, she couldn't feel the Force anymore either.

And everything went black.

.....

All that she had wanted was a vacation....


.......

....And this wasn't what she had in mind.

[video]https://youtu.be/tH2w6Oxx0kQ[/video]​

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph stepped forward pushing past the various security forces milling around. He was clad in his shining new Covenant armor, lightsaber hanging from his waist. When he'd received word that [member="Lady Kay"] had been killed, he came right away. He didn't believe it. Not really. But there was only one way to find out. He paused a few steps from the body, looking around. The struggle was obvious. Remains of a campfire were strewn about, but that was not what Voph was here for.

He stepped over to the body to survey it. Certainly bore the queen's features. But he was still not convinced there was not some trickery at play. He knelt beside the body, reaching out with the Force to find whatever secrets his oldest ally might show him. What had happened. Who her attacker had been. After a moment, he paused, then stood. He turned to the security personnel and whomever else they might have let through to the scene. "Word will already be spreading through the cities. It's too late to suppress it, so do your best to keep the people calm." He turned to one of the guards that had accompanied him, and said, "Pull the reports from the Aquila, and every single spaceport on Commenor, I want records of all traffic in or out for the last month." He turned to look at the body. "And don't tell her children. Not till we're sure...."

 

[Darlyn Excron]

He was late.

Darlyn was always late when it came to helping Kay.

But this time at least, there was a reason. She'd left quietly, he wasn't her security detail anymore. And today he was late, because he was handing the formal investigation to his direct subordinate. He was not going to be able to remain partial on this one, not remotely. So why then was he stepping out of the police cruiser along with the officers handling the officially recognized investigation, if he was going to have no part of that? To be frank, he didn't believe she was dead. For good reasons, he felt, but he didn't believe she was dead. So he was late, arriving not long after [member="Voph"], and donned in much less official robes than anything he had worn previous, at least by company present's standards.

He gave officers a minute to get to work, before he walked up behind the Lord of Brelor, looking down at the body supposedly belonging to [member="Lady Kay"]. He was silent a minute, before he spoke to the miraluka. "You don't believe it either do you?" The tone he used, it was evident Darlyn was doubtful this was truly [member="Lady Kay"]. To an extent perhaps, but not... Kay. "It's so trivial to fake someone's murder. Especially if you have time, and money. It's a shame neither of us are Veiere. He could give better insight."

 

[Stardust Solus Skirae]

Word spread quick
Whispers of a death
The death of a queen
Throughout the temple it echoed till it reached stardust ears officially. With that came disbelief coming off of her as she sat within her office as she stared down at her desk, suddenly anger took her over as she slammed her fist down into the desk cracking it as she closes her eyes.

give them a warning I'm coming

With that a message would be sent to
[member="Darlyn Excron"] and @voph. Stating that grandmaster skirea would be arriving within the hour, not sparing any time she took one of the shuttle and zoned off through the airspace. Setting on the seat she thought things over, kay had many many enemies, her deeds in the galaxy had earned her them. She wondered who to blame for this? Where was hee security detail?! Quelling her anger she let a breath out and arrived stepping out wearing her robes as she approached the group and looked to the body....something just wasnt right....didnt settle with stardust

how long has the body been dead?

She spoke quietly, afraid if she was too loud her emotions would over flow...this woman here was possibly her sister and now she was possibly dead

 

[Kay-Larr]

The news didn't take long to spread. After talking with the authorities over what they had seen, the two joggers were quick to inform their family and friends, whom were quick to inform their family and friends, and so on.

In a matter of hours, eye witness accounts both real and fake began to pour out onto the holonet. Everyone wanted their 15 seconds of fame with such a big story. It's not every day that a monarch is killed, even one that had a lot of enemies. Trying to keep a lid on it was a futile effort. It'd be like trying to contain the wind.

The detailed records of traffic for the past month were dispatched to [member="Voph"] . It would take some time to look through them all. Anything suspect within them would take a very close examination.

Just as an investigation of the body would. As well as Kay's last known whereabouts.

The speederbike was over a mile away, crashed and burned against the rocks, the smoke having already died off. Most of the evidence that it contained was destroyed.

Mostly.

The biggest fire was the rumours and suspicions that surrounded the situation. And there were plenty of suspects, both obvious and not.

[member="Darlyn Excron"] [member="Stardust Australis Skirae"]

 

[Yasha Cadera]

The image of [member="Lady Kay"] lying neck-up in the stillness of death hit Yasha Cadera’s gut so hard, she crushed the teacup in her hand. As her retinue mobilized, Yasha made a series of comm calls.

One, to [member="Darlyn Excron"] and [member="Stardust Australis Skirae"] to let them know she was taking to her fastest ship, the Aaranov.

Another to [member="Ginnie Dib"], her oldest friend: A Kiffar of psychometric talents so hearty that she could, like Yasha’s beloved deceased step-mother [member="Baiko no Kaho"], read the memories of the dead. Ginnie dropped everything and ran.

Cerani gave Yasha the direct coordinates, meeting her along the way with a new cup of tea - this time in a metal mug. The Aaranov bent space behind it, burning its’ hyperdrive to the nth to reach Commenor.

She would not let Aunt Kay down again.

Dressed in her armour, with Ginnie still in the leathers of a beskarsmith by her side, and three of her gurlanin protectors flanking behind, Yasha crunched through the scene to Darlyn and Stardust.

“Star. Darlyn. Has anyone found my cousins? Where are Loreena and Caedyn? Are they protected? I can have escorts by their side within the hour if you need it. Where is Veiere?” The family. Where was the family? Were they safe? “Ginnie, what can you do?”

Yanking off her forge-gloves, Ginnie dusted off her hands.

“If you guys are done getting forensics, it’ll take a minute, but I can read her. She ain’t been dead too long, if there’s a memory on that body, it’ll still be there.” The Mandalorians stood, Yasha vibrating and Ginnie a stern expression on svelte skin. "Anybody got a problem with it?"

 

[Stardust Solus Skirae]

[member="Yasha Cadera"] [member="Lady Kay"] @Stardust Australis Skirae [member="Darlyn Excron"] [member="Voph"]

Things were getting worse by the second, with yasha now coming stardust knew the heat would be on the suspect unless they were stupid. Eyes moved from the body to the surrounding area as she took it all in, looking towards the crashed speeder eyes narrowed to it then back towards the body....why would you snap your victim's neck then take the speeder and crash it? Details started setting into place that just didnt set in correctly at all.....

Stardust felt yasha arrive along with her band of people. Turning she turned with a somber look on her face as she placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down

easy vod, easy, we are unsure everything has hit so quick but in sure they know....as well as half the planet

Stardust eyes turned to ginnie, nodding her head gently before she started walking off towards the crash then stopped, she was about to piss people off she knew it

until we find who is responsible, I want this planet locked down, I want every holonet listened into....and I want this person found

Not another word uttered as she started for the speeder taking long steps until she arrived and looked it over crouching beside it. Nasty wreck it was however seemed a bit she could look through as she used the force to gently move a few things see if anything caught her eye

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph looked at the body as well, musing quietly as Darlyn voiced his opinion on the matter. He was quiet for a while. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the arrival of the Mandalorian. Questions were asked, gloves were removed, and one of them moved to search the memories on the body. Voph stepped forward with a hand out to stop them, shaking his head. "No use, I've already tried. Just flashes of her campfire, and the memory of being attacked. Nothing to go on."

His gaze turned to the gathering crowd, then turned to [member="Darlyn Excron"] . The somber expression in his face, and the tone of his voice left a grave implication. "Minister, Inform the King. The sooner he's able to address the people, the better." He turned back to [member="Yasha Cadera"] And said, "I have no means of contact with her son. We need to contact them before they find out about this from the random chatter. I'll send a message to her daughter on my way back." He sighed quietly. "I'm afraid it really is her."

He turned and left, gesturing for Darlyn to walk beside him as he moved towards his speeder. For all the grief he had given Darlyn at their first meeting, now was not the time for petty squabbles. "I'm returning to the capital, and convening an emergency meeting of the House. Do what you need to do here, then ensure that Veiere is safe. You know the royal family better than I do, so no one enters that palace without your express say-so." Voph turned and clapped an armored gauntlet on the man's shoulder. "And it's probably best to check every passenger on outbound flights until we're sure the killer is dealt with, or off planet already."

With that, Voph climbed into the back of the speeder, and sealed the door behind him. The pilot droid set course for the capital, and floored the accelerator. Voph sat in silence for a moment, then sent a series of messages. The first to the council of lords. [member="Baron Morcus"], [member="Jairdain"], [member="Shoden Moz"], [member="Corran Cath"], and [member="Triana Piett"]. The message was simple. *Emergency meeting, assemble at Capital Building immediately.* That, paired with the hubbub already, was surely enough to summon them. He sighed quietly, then pulled out his holocom. This message he put a little more care into. He removed his helmet, and realized there was a tear rolling down his cheek. Good, that would help the authenticity of this message.

"Captain Arenais. This is Lord Voph of Brelor. Set course for Commenor immediately." He paused for a moment to allow the recipient to comply, then continued. "There was an attack some time in the night." His jaw tensed, and he had to look away from the transmitter. He was about to tell this girl that her mother was dead. There was a small part of him that was screaming that Kay was surely still alive somewhere. But what if she wasn't? What if Voph was right, and there was no trick? Was it worth it? Was it worth destroying the young captain emotionally? It had to be done. Lest she find out from some random news feed out in the galaxy. He took a shuddering breath, now becoming somewhat emotional himself. He forced himself to look at the transmitter again. "Your mother was found dead this morning. I'm sorry."

[member="Loreena Arenais"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Orrico felt his blood run cold as he watched the message. Per usual, he was alone in the cockpit while the rest of the crew enjoyed whatever leisure time they wished. It was the Sith they'd rescued some months ago. Lord of Brelor. One of the moons of Commenor. He was doing well for himself, at the very least. But what he had to say... ~Attention all crew, we're redirecting to Commenor, Highest priority. Captain, meet me in your quarters.~ And with all possible speed, the course was adjusted, and the Sparrow was streaking through space towards Commenor. Power was dumped into the Hyperdrive as Orrico attempted to milk every last ounce of speed out of the Sparrow that he could.

Then, he engaged the autopilot and turned to walk back to the captain's quarters. He was sure Lori could see the worry on his face. He shut the door behind them, and locked it. Hopefully the crew would allow them some privacy this time. "We just received a transmission from that Sith we picked up a while back." He stepped over to the control console and began to recall the message. He then paused and turned to Lori. "You'd....you'd best sit down for this one..." He waited a moment, then hit the button. A holo image of Voph's head was projected into the room. Orrico stepped around to Lori's side, and put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Tears began to well in Orrico's eyes in empathy for the captain, and the news she was about to receive.

"Captain Arenais. This is Lord Voph of Brelor. Set course for Commenor Immediately." Orrico reached up to dab away a tear. "There was an attack some time in the night." Orrico braced himself. He wasn't sure how Lori would react. But knowing the strong-willed young woman...Orrico prepared himself to restrain her, if necessary. "Your mother was found dead this morning. I'm sorry."

@Dayia [member="Loreena Arenais"] [member="Gray Venasir"]

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori was trying her hand at drawing. [member="Daiya"] liked to do it, or at least she had seen her dabble into it from time to time. It wasn't as though she peeked on her stuff, but maybe, just once. Or twice. Maybe.

Her tongue was sticking part way out of her closed mouth as she concentrated, draw multiple lines in the same spot over and over again. She was going for something simple; a valley with trees. Of course she really wanted to draw something with action, but that was tough!!

The voice of [member="Orrico Wayke"] came across the ship. For some reason it gave her a sinking feeling. Why were they going home? What did she do wrong this time? The hyperdrive kicked in and she knew it was serious.

Tucking the paper and pencil under her arm, Lori left the lounge and went up to her quarters as she was told. Orrico arrived seconds later, closing and locking the door behind him. Why would he lock her in? Or was he keeping everyone else out? Was someone else in their crew a spy??

Lori sat down on the edge of her bed, slowly. When adults told their charges to do sit before giving them news, that tended to mean that things were about to change. Orrico looked so....sad. And worried. She clenched her jaw to still herself for the message, setting the paper and pencil down beside her.

But that wasn't enough. Every word that [member="Voph"] had uttered gave her a deeper sense of dread, and made gravity seem to increase. "W-what?...He's joking, right?....What about my Dad? What about Cae?! Are they all gone?!! Am I alone?!!! Is that why I'm being summoned back by him and not them?!!!!" With each question her voice got louder and more frantic and she rose quickly to her feet, her tearing eyes now looking for Orrico to for some kind of hope in his expression to reassure her. "It can't be true!
We saw my Dad's ship go down, but he survived! He survived and so she should too!! My Mom's not dead!" It was hard to tell who she was trying to convince the most; herself or Orrico.

Lori sat back down on the edge of the bed, supporting her weight on her hands as her head was lowered. The tears fell freely then as her shoulders shook while she sobbed. Guilt came crashing into her like a wave. She wasn't entirely close to her Mom, or any of them really. Not since she was whisked away to go train with Jaster. Maybe that was a mistake.

"...I should have been there...I-I don't know what to do." Everything was about to change. And she was scared.

[member="Gray Venasir"] [member="Daiya"]

 

[Shoden Moz]

Had to work. Don't think of it.

A thousand questions and no answers, Shoden was donned in simple garb, a blouse, pants, some sweater to cover her arms and keep warm. She had her personal aide rushing to keep up with the young leader, who kept speaking loudly and issuing her orders. Keep the troopers ready in case riots broke out, get a media lockdown. Find her speeder, get to the capital.

Had to work more. Don't think.

She had her datapad in her lap, and she kept scrolling through every detail she could get her hand on. So many things to do here, she had to trust her Father to keep the peace and find the truth. Who could do such a thing, if such a thing happened. She had to stay confident, stay capable. Lead Nordel, keep the illusion everything would be fine. Another stupid question from the aide if she was alright, she didn't dignify it with an answer.

Don't think. Work. Work.

She was leaving the safety of her personal speeder, when she noticed her valet's smokes. She grabbed one, lighting it before anyone could stop her and doing what she'd seen him do a thousand times. She coughed and made her way up towards the Capital building, taking another hit of the cigarette, a bit lighter than before. She knew it was a poor choice, a bad thing to start. But, it did calm her nerves, just a bit. Just.. just a tiny bit.

Don't think. Only work.

She felt the light narcotic of the cigarette helping her just... ever so slightly relax. Just enough she wasn't going to scream when Voph said what she already heard. Of course she heard. Kay was her aunt for all anyone cared, the rumour was quick to reach her.

She found her way to the meeting hall, set her datapad up, and got to work. She had to keep busy, while she waited.

[member="Voph"]

 

[Taa Nul]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C2wCcuKmLI​

News had quickly reached Morcus in Tarkin City of the recent unfortunate events. Lady Kay was someone Morcus greatly admired, and her sudden death weighed heavily upon even him. It was not long before he acted with all due haste. The vast fleet of House Morcus quickly formed a blockade around Commenor to secure the planet and allow no traffic to leave or enter. Martial law was enacted not only in Tarkin City, but across the entire world as regiments of his Stormtroopers were quickly deployed to sweep every city street and restore order in the wake of such a devastating potential assassination.

Morcus's Conqueror-class Star Destroyer, "Annihilator", quickly came to hover above the Commenori capital. His elite 501st Legion had already secured and reinforced the royal palace as his shuttle made it's descent from the Annihilator's hangar bay to the palace landing pad below. When the boarding ramp of his shuttle lowered, Morcus quickly emerged from within, striding briskly into the palace tailed by a large protection squad of Deathtroopers.

He eventually arrived at the crime scene where the investigation was currently taking place. Without hesitance, he spoke. "Report. How in the force's name did this occur? Why did I not sense anything?", he said in an angered tone, an unusual display of sadness, though understandable given the loss of his friend.

[member="Voph"]
[member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Darlyn listened to everyone, the rush of emotions, the different voices speaking one after another. All as he tried to examine the body just a bit. No he didn't believe this was Kay, but he couldn't be certain. He would need fingerprints, a full autopsy, proof. Something he could put his faith in. He tried to consider every method of testing bodies, to determine clone status or not. It wasn't like there were no Kay clones, he'd personally known of at least one to exist. But they were too slow, something he didn't have the luxury of if he wanted to reassure [member="Yasha Cadera"] of the situation. All except...

He was torn away when [member="Voph"] wanted to speak to him. He listened, quietly, and heard every suggestion. OF course some of it was already underway, [member="Veiere Arenais"] would be finding a surplus of guards at his location at all times, and the lockdown simply needed to be ordered to become an enacted protocol. So Darlyn found little he didn't expect to hear from him. However, Darlyn didn't have a bad impression of Voph, if anything it was a neutral leaning towards meh. So he didn't even feel that a squabble could take place, even if this weren't so serious.

That said, he didn't exactly return much in the way of sentiment. When Morcus arrived yelling, Darlyn went up swiftly, the black sith robes barely seeming to move as he got as close as the guards would let him. "Lord Morcus, please leave. Please. We're just finding details out as we speak, and I need as few people to worry about at this scene as possible. Voph just left to call the House together at the capital building, to discus how to move forward beyond today. That means my daughter will be there. For the love of the Force please just, go there. She's not going to take this well, Kay is, I'm sure you know what she is to her. And if they go after family... I'd feel better knowing you and your troops were there. Once I test something I'll be going to the meeting myself, to represent Chasin. Just trust me." It wasn't a lie. It wasn't fully honest, he didn't totally trust the man, but it was true he'd feel better. This was something Darlyn had to put faith into... that [member="Baron Morcus"] would understand him.

He shouted back at Yasha and the others as he went towards a cruiser. "Mand'alor, do me a favor. IF anyone approaches the body, break their arm. Keep every scent possible away from it. I know I have no real authority over you vod, but if you want an idea I just had to work, that body needs to be as untouched as possible. So they should leave it alone, just feel free to make the point clear if you must."

And with that he left, driving the speeder so fast it'd break laws if the sirens weren't on. Until he was at the Palace, having called ahead. Veiere would get a call alerting him to everything, personally from Darlyn. "Kay's body was found on one of the beaches. We're investigating now, we don't have much to go on. I'm following up on a theory I have already, but you need to be ready to address the public as soon as you can. CAll me when you can."

The Palace was on high alert, locked down as ordered. Darlyn alone held the permission to allow anyone in, outside of a few select individuals that held the right. The Royal family could enter, of course, and override his security protocols. But he held the permissions, and it took much to override them, a safety precaution considering he was a difficult personality to imitate anyways, which meant difficulty evading the lockdown. He acquired a bit of food suitable for his purpose, before going to meet one of Kay's personal friends.

"Hey Viribus, I need your help buddy. I brought you some food, will you come with me?"

[member="Loreena Arenais"] :|: [member="Stardust Australis Skirae"] :|: [member="Orrico Wayke"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Viribus had his own room in the Palace. For the moment, as he was still only a metre long, that room was upstairs near Kay's office.

The lockdown and bustle of activity made the little krayt dragon nervous. He paced back and forth stifly, his tail flicking with agitation. At times his head shook from side to side as he was away from his Mistress for far longer than normal.

He looked to the door as soon as it opened, crying out as he had expected to see her. But it wasn't Kay. Instead it was [member="Darlyn Excron"] . Viribus gave out a shriek of a roar, both in surprise and disappointment. That would have turned into anger had it not been for the scent of the bantha steak that Darlyn held.

Viribus moved in a rush towards him, his manner being quite aggressive in nature and intimidating enough for such a small creature. He snapped at the meat and scarfed it down, growls and snarls accompanying the sounds of him eating. He understood some Basic. 'Food'. 'Come with me'. Those he had heard often. So he began to climb onto Darlyn, talons digging into the man's clothing until he was up on his shoulders, the dragon's tail coiling around his left arm.

Something was wrong. Viribus just couldn't understand what.

 

[Stardust Solus Skirae]

Stardust looked to the wreckage before her, eyes narrowed as she spotted a helmet and used the force to pick it up as she moved it around then sat it down gently before looking the bike over seeing the handle bars still there...

get me forensics over here now! I have some stuff they need to look at

She stood up and closed her eyes and focused herself trying to center herself as she could feel people around the planet and it was grinding on her as she sighed

may the force be with us...

 

[Yasha Cadera]

“Person singular? Don’t be daft, Star. No one person set this in motion.” The area was getting crowded.

“Not meaning to offend you here, but I’ll get more than your average Kiffar.” Ginnie crossed her arms over her chest. She was here as a favour, but that didn’t mean she had to be civil.

“Vano, find Caedyn. Tuulu, contact Lori.” The gurlanin guards rushed to their missions, and Yasha knew they would never fail. [member="Darlyn Excron"] asked the young Mand’alor for assistance, and Yasha simply nodded.

“Ambrose.” All she needed to say was his name. Ambrose raised his rifle, and the dozen Death Watch-clad Mandalorians around Yasha set a perimeter around the body, activating shields to create a bubble.

“Nothing will get through.”

[member="Stardust Australis Skirae"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Loreena Arenais"] [member="Baron Morcus"] [member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph's speeder had hardly come to a stop at the capital and he was on his feet carving a path through the crowd towards the door. An armor clad stormtrooper bearing the Octarchy colors fell in step beside Voph, his shoulder cape marking him as one of the Commandos. Voph began to bark orders as he strode into the building. "I want this building locked down, no one gets in with out permission from myself, Minister Darlyn, or a member of the royal family. Jaster's Sparrow is inbound with all possible haste, I want the roof clear for its arrival. Soon as Loreena arrives, I want her by my side." The two turned towards the stairs. "Any word from King Veiere or Caedyn?" "Negative, my lord. Both are off planet." "Then do what you must to get a message through."

Voph took a datapad from another aide that passed him in the hallway. "As of now all information passing through this building is need-to-know. If they are a news source, or know a news source, I want them out of here. When the Lords of the council arrive, send them to the meeting hall. Keep the hallways clear, non-essential personnel are to be dismissed. Continue work offsite if they must."

The two entered the meeting hall, and Voph offered a curt nod to [member="Shoden Moz"] as he walked towards the holoprojector in the center of the room. "I want the battlegroup on standby. Anything even acts like it's going to breach that blockade without authorization, you bring it down." Voph coughed slightly. The scar across his face was still rather raw, and his side was bothering him quite a bit now. He leaned forward, resting his weight against the helmet he held in his right hand as his left powered up the holoprojector to a live feed of planetary traffic. "In the meantime, keep scanning the data we've got. Anything out of the ordinary I want on my screen ASAP." He straightened back up, and turned to the commando. Voph had no eyes, but if he did, there would be a fire within them. "As of right now the Covenant is at war with whatever son of a Bith did this." Voph waved his hand to dismiss the commando, and the man hurried off.

Voph turned to Shoden. He tossed his helmet in the corner of the room, and sat down in his chair around the table. He sighed heavily. The situation was weighing on him as much as it was everyone. But he knew better than to show it publicly. He stood again. He couldn't sit at a time like this. He began to speak outloud, partially to himself, partially to Shoden and the few aides in the room. "We still don't have any leads on the hostile, have to wait for the Minster's investigation to conclude. Right now, our focus needs to be on restoring order. We keep martial law in effect for now, and cut it off as soon as we know the hostile is no longer on the planet." He turned to Shoden, speaking directly to her. "Send a statement to your region. Official declaration that the Queen is dead. Tell the people that this is a great loss, but Commenor will endure. King Veiere is alive and well, and mourning the loss of his wife. We are doing everything we can to find the culprit, and anyone with legitimate information should come forward."

Voph hurriedly typed out his own message to transmit throughout Brelor. He could feel the adrenaline pumping in his veins. He'd not done damage control on this level since...

...Since an attempt had been made on the Minister of Intelligence. Voph frowned at the memory. "And someone get me a drink. Something with a kick to it."

[member="Darlyn Excron"] [member="Baron Morcus"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Stardust Australis Skirae"] [member="Yasha Cadera"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Orrico sank down onto the bed beside Lori, hand resting on her shoulder until she stood. He didn't say anything. What was there to say? What could he say that would make this better? He rested a comforting hand on Lori's shoulders again as she sunk down onto the bed. At the first sob, it wrapped around her and she was pulled into a hug. He wanted desperately to be able to say something...anything to comfort Lori. A hoarse whisper of "I'm so sorry..." was the best he could manage. So he held her close, silently praying that the rest of her family was still alive and well. After a moment, he released her from the hug and stood. "We'll be getting close, I should prepare the ship...and the crew..."

He stepped over to the door and unlocked it, stepping out into the common areas of the ship. As he walked towards the cockpit, he yelled for the other crew members to meet him there. Unsurprisingly it didn't take them long. They all knew something was up. Orrico sat down in the pilot's seat, his usual relaxed demeanor completely gone. "No easy way to say this folks, so I'm just gonna say it. We got a message sayin' little lady's mommah was murdered. That's all we know, so don't bother askin any more questions. Offer your condolences if you must, but right now we gotta worry about gettin her home and in friendly hands with all possible haste."

He sighed quietly as the ship chimed to inform him their destination had been reached. "Someone tell her we're here. Have her waiting by the door for when we touch down." The ship dropped out of hyperspace to witness a full scale blockade of the planet. Orrico began to broadcast a request for entry to the planet below. "Hailing any Commenor authority, this is Jast--" He was cut off as a wing of fighters bearing the Octarchy's colors flew towards them and took up escort positions around them. A transmission was received as this happened. "Welcome home, Jaster's Sparrow. By order of Lord Voph, you are cleared to land at the House of Lords." They were expected. "Acknowledged, plotting course."

Moments later, the Sparrow had touched down on top of the largest spire on the House of Lords. One of the Octarchy Commandos was waiting for [member="Loreena Arenais"] at the bottom of the ramp. "Captain Arenais. Lord Voph wishes your presence immediately." He put a protective arm around her to hurry her inside. "We're unable to contact your father and brother, but to our knowledge they're both alive and well." Once they were inside, the commando let Lori set the pace, leading her towards the meeting room. "We're doing everything we can to reach them, and will ensure that you're allowed to speak with them should we raise them." He paused outside the meeting room as the door slid open and saluted Lori. "Welcome home, Princess."

[member="Daiya"] [member="Gray Venasir"]

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori shut her eyes tight as [member="Orrico Wayke"] pulled her into a hug, and she found herself curling up in his arms as her body shook with grief and fear of the unknown path that will soon lay at her feet. She just soaked in the moment, taking hold of the short minutes of comfort that he could give, not knowing if she'd be treated like a normal person anymore. Being on the Jaster's Sparrow had given her a sense normalcy. She was a Captain, not a Princess. There was no need for fancy dresses or curtsies here.

But on Commenor it was another matter. Especially if her Dad and twin brother was yet to be found.

Lori let Orrci go as he released the hug, letting her know of his plan on how to handle the crew. It was almost time for her to leave them, and she had to compose herself. She nodded to him as he departed and then went straight to the wash basin, turning the water on and splashing it into her face over and over again. The cool water was soothing and gave her something else to feel besides heartache.

She felt the ship exit hyperspace and swallowed a lump in her throat. It was time to go.

Lori glanced around her quarters for a moment. Should she pack up anything? Or just go? Maybe the latter was the best. It wasn't as though she didn't have spare clothes on Commenor.

There was no need for the crew to fetch her. Lori opened the door and gripped the handrails as she slowly made her way down. She held in her breath until she was at the bottom and then looked to her fellow crew. "Stay on board for now.
At least for a day or two. Orrico's in command. I don't...I don't know what's going to happen just yet. But I'll be in touch and will put you all up some place, if I have to while we sort things out here. O-okay?" Her jaw clenched as she didn't quite know what to say.

Didn't matter anyways. They had touch down and the ramp was lowered. "Be safe...everyone..." Lori gave them all as much of a smile as she could muster, before she walked down, only to be met by a Commando that quickly whisk her away. The fact that her Dad and brother haven't been reached yet scared her. What if they were dead too? What if she was the next target?

Everything was just happening so fast, her head was in a spin. Yet she found herself just nodding to whatever the Commando was saying. That is until he spoke his last words. Welcome home? What kind of a thing was that for him to say?! This wasn't some jolly day that she was having, no glorious circumstance that brought her home. No! This was a HORRIBLE day. And certainly not a welcome one.

But Lori held her tongue. It wasn't his fault for what he said. Everyone was scrambling, you could feel it in the air. Or maybe it was the Force telling her that. She didn't know.

Her eyes soon fell on [member="Voph"] . He was the one that they had picked up months earlier; a Sith Lord with a strange tale. And one that scared her crew....

"H-how did it happen?
Wh-where? Can I see her?"

[member="Daiya"] [member="Gray Venasir"]

 

[Shoden Moz]

Shoden glanced up when [member="Voph"] arrived, before looking back down to her datapad. IT was painfully obvious the young girl was stressing herself out, that this situation was something she was in no way prepared to handle, and the fact she had to pretend it didn't or she'd worry the public was evident. Even here behind closed doors, she couldn't do a thing to calm herself down. When he spoke up, and offered her advice, she gave a short little nod and stood back from the datapad, looking back up at him. "I already have, Lord Voph. It was... one of the first things I started working on. I sent a few differently worded statements to my advisers to help.. make sure they don't panic. Once they send me back the consensus that is what I will officially say."

The cigarette helped more than she'd admit. Now that there was little she could do, little work to keep her mind off of the reality and keep it from settling... it was making it possible for her to remain composed. She had to keep from thinking of it, or she'd break down. Here, perhaps that was not a problem... those present still believed her a child after all. But it.. could very easily ruin the work she was putting in.

That composure changed, however, when [member="Loreena Arenais"] arrived. Her 'cousin', begging almost to know what was going on. So she'd been told. Shoden wasn't sure if that made it harder, or easier. For her, it just made her collected appearance crumble like the facade it was. and for a minute she actually showed how bad it was. She dropped the burnt out cigarette from her valet, and half ran over to Loreena, her heels clicking loudly as she approached her 'cousin'. Perhaps to her surprise, considering she had addressed Voph...

She reached out, and went to wrap her arms around her, the smell of the smoke still clinging to her blouse faintly. Hopefully.. hopefully Loreena would let the hug happen. Shoden needed it, to be frank. "You know better than to ask.. cousin. If we find anything big Dad is going to tell use, surely. It's.. it's his job to. A-And he's real good.."