Dominion Born on the Bayou (OPA Dominion of Manpha)

[Atlas Drake]

The World of Manpha, home of the Shawda Ubb and no stranger to our Cause. Years ago during the reign of the First Order, the Shawda Ubb were subjugated by the Imperialist Regime, forced into submission without the means to liberate themselves. Not until Ssi-ruuvi invasion drove all but a token force offworld to reinforce their Empire elsewhere. The Shawda Ubb waged a successful campaign of resistance against the fledgling Dosuun Hegemony. Manpha has since known liberty under their own interests and governance…

However, unrest between Manpha and the Nagai of Saijo has reached new heights because of the region’s current power vacuum. Shamed by their defeat at the hands of Shakura conquerors, many young Nagai are eager to claim what they see as an easy victory over an ancient foe. The Shawda Ubb meanwhile are skeptical of joining any Alliance that Saijo remains a part of.

With tensions on the rise, the Outer Planets Alliance has sent some of its people to Manpha in order to deescalate the situation, between the two squabbling nations. Unbeknownst to the OPA an Imperial Cell remains active on Manpha and has been quietly aggravating the situation from behind the scenes.​

// ACCESSING ALLIANCE UNDERVINE //
// UPLINK ESTABLISHED //
TODAY IS NOT A GOOD DAY TO DIE - [Diplomacy] Meet with the congregation of Shawda Ubb and Nagai officials within the Capital City of Manpha, Shapan. Seek out a solution to the growing tensions in the region.

THEY'RE COMING OUT OF THE WALLS - [PvE] Rumors of an Imperial Cell are seeming far more likely as the arrival of the OPA triggers a desperate attack on the Shapan Spaceport. Upon arrival, one of the OPA vessels are set upon by terrorists wielding explosives, insurgents are armed and on the scene to deter the OPA personnel while civilians are heavy in the area.

BYOO - Bring Your Own Objective!

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

Objective One: Diplomacy

The meeting went off the rails early, when the Nagai Saijoan Ambassador sampled local delicacies consisting of expertly prepared marsh grass and raw fish. Quill found them quite tasty, and the near-human Nagai could certainly eat them, but the Ambassador made a fuss about 'primitive cuisine' and things were just off to a great start. It was all Quill could do to urge everyone back to the table, particularly with a string of braised marsh grass dangling from his beard, a liability he did not discover until later.

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

Objective 1: Diplomacy
Location: Shapan Political Offices

​

The OPA delegation sat amid the squabbling factions of the Nagai and Shawda Ubb, each garnering for a more favorable position on the chess board. The neutral parties from the Alliance each discussed their side when able. to try and find a good middle ground. The room was tense and the stakes were high for all involved.

Kimiko sat as central as possible, hearing both sides, and offering answers to the best of her ability. She had to put on her best diplomatic face. She felt for the side of Nagai as the Shakuran incursions were still fresh in most minds, many refugees from the conflict residing in her own system. She also shared sympathy for the Shawda Ubb as well knowing full well their skepticism at openly joining the Alliance.

But, the squabbling continued, not presenting a desirable opening to the debate as each side continued.

Jend-Ro Quill

 

[Mishel Kryze]

​

The Shanpan Starport had become the target of the Imperials here, "good work CO-0195." Mežsrožu cooed into the operative's ear as they made their way via hoverboat across the swamp. FN-3147 and 3152 sat in the back and operated the motor. "With luck, they'll reduce the starport to rubble, keep the Alliance busy for us." Mežsrožu needed them for the moment to do what chaotic Imperials who had been fed a particular drug over time to go mad. Mad enough for her and the team to get what they needed and leave which for them was a deal with a small eccentric group of Nagai who would be willing to be her eyes and ears on the planet. In exchange, she would offer them room on a First Order world, preferably under the watchful gaze of her brother Kyrel Ren .​

​

"Don't like being out this far." FN-3147 mentioned.​

​

"Be at ease, we're here to talk and your armor is enough to keep you hidden from Alliance sensors if they come looking this way."​

​

"Ren has a point, besides, if we keep things quiet we should be fine." 0195 added as the hoverboat maneuvered through the dense fog and bulky tree roots. "The Imperial Cell here are only all too eager to reclaim the world for themselves without understanding how vastly outnumbered they're going to be."​

​

"Bavvan Spice laced with Seoularian Opidiods will do that." Mežsrožu sang with a soft, malicious soprano tone. A smirk appeared across face, once more the language exchanged between her and her unit had been a twisted form of Eldorai tongue. Added that most of their voices had been distorted by modulators. "Let us remember that we are here on behalf of our Father Sieger, Hail Sieger."​

​

"Hail Sieger." ​

​

BYOO - Post 1​

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

Diplomacy

Structurally, the talks made sense. Equal representation, neutral arbiters - Jedi, plus the invaluable Empress of Akarui. The only real issue here, apart from the obvious, was Glesson, the arrogant Nagai Ambassador from Saijo. Quill suspected he wasn't here in good faith.

Replace him, without Saijo losing too much face, and this whole dispute might wrap itself up. That course of action was ethically thorny, to be sure, but it might be navigable.

When the meeting took a break, Quill approached Kimiko Taiyou . "Your Majesty," he said quietly. "I just want to thank you for being here in good faith. I wish some others around the table felt the same."

 

[Sinestra]

Diplomacy
B

Glesson, the Nagai ambassador from Saijo was a man Jude remembered from the FOSB dossiers. An influential Nagai who helped from the shadows bring First Imperial order over Saijo back in the days. He came with a hefty paycheck, too. Old FO worlds still possessed the Imperial influence, mostly as militias and sponsored gangs but they were still capable of disrupting order and bringing chaos.

So while the diplomatic meeting was going in full force, ORION tasked Jude with acquiring incriminating proof of the ambassador's ties with the First Order. Blackmail had always been a key instrument for any intelligence agency. ORION was no different. His mission was made known to the OPA delegation, including Jend-Ro Quill and Kimiko Taiyou ; if their negotiations were short, then Falkrowe had to provide them with the blackmail.

"I hope y'all's negotiations are going well." he whispered through the comms to the delegation as he glued himself to a wall and peeked over to see the dramatic security detail guarding Glesson's shuttle. Preliminary intel was, as always, incorrect. "Cause gettin' in ol' Glesson's shuttle's as easy as invading Bastion this time of the year."

 

[Shira Varanin]

Objective 2
Shanpan Starport

The suicide bomb went off right under the OPA vessel Memoriam, Captain Shira Varanin commanding, and gutted the repulsorlifts. That was eight minutes ago. In those eight minutes, the immobilized frigate came under heavy fire from E-WEB repeating blasters and man-portable missile launchers.

And Shira had given the order not to return fire, not at all. Because every enemy position involved Shawda Ubb hostages. If these terrorists could get the OPA to kill said hostages, or otherwise play a role in their deaths, Manpha's whole future was in doubt.

 

[Tarre Priest]

Objective Two - Shanpan Starport

"BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!"

Apparently we weren't supposed to be firing on these people who were more than ready for us to be here. Holding my back to the outer wall of the vessel. Really hoping that the shielding and the armor of the ship would be able to hold up to these turret emplacements. The Bounty Hunter side of me, the fiery ginger soul I had wished that the Commander of this vessel would just let us fire back.

However, apparently these guys had an ace up the sleeve. Hostages that could be killed. They could fire almost recklessly into our ship, but we couldn't fire back at all due to the potential of killing the locals. Not only that but what if a shot missed? Where would it end up? Likely down the street and hitting something that wasn't supposed to be hit.

I will say, its not my proudest moment with me walking up to the Commander.

"As much as I like the sound of the rain, I am not fond of the kind of rain that can put holes in my chest. You got a plan to take these igiots out?"

Shira Varanin

 

[Shira Varanin]

Objective Two - Shanpan Starport

"Miss Tarre Priest , I've got sixteen fires to put out, actual fires. The hull's holding for the moment. Give me a-" Shira cut herself off and focused on the bounty hunter. "I have no substantive plan and I'm open to suggestions. If you want to get out there and-"

She pounded a cybernetic fist on the nearest bulkhead.

"I'm open to suggestions," she said again, pointing through a spiderwebbed viewport. "There's an E-WEB position separated from the rest, about fifty meters off the starboard bow. If you can find a way to knock it out without hurting the hostages, do it."

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

Diplomacy: Post 2

She offered a warm smile, cradling an offered drink, to Master Jend-Ro Quill ,"It is the least I could do. I do share your sentiment that the others were here for such noble means." she looked around at the gathered delegations. She noted the obvious lines that were between the opposing parties. She loosed a soft chuckle, to cover the reaction from Sinestra ,"Perhaps, if our mission here runs into to much resistance, another path may be of necessity."

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

Diplomacy
Kimiko Taiyou Sinestra

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Truth be told, in his heart of hearts Quill was just fine with Intelligence blackmailing an ambassador to resolve this situation. He was also fine with the Nagai of Saijo losing face, because the more of these meetings he sat through, the more clearly he saw they were in the wrong. The Shawda Ubb were right to be skeptical of OPA membership.

"But at best," he said very quietly, "the Nagai are sending a clear signal that OPA leadership is toothless. At worst it looks like leadership is letting the Nagai off the leash to pressure Manpha into signing on. So maybe it does need to come to that, as it were."

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

Diplomacy: Post 3
Jend-Ro Quill | Sinestra

She thought on the words for a moment, taking a look at things from such a perspective was eye-opening to the young empress. Kimiko nodded in agreement,"I do see your point. Both of these peoples are full of emotion and allowing that to drive their squabbles. One side wanting a promise of stability and security. The other on the path of vengeance." perhaps allowing the blackmail to occur would speed up the talks, backing the Nagai into a settlement.

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

Kimiko Taiyou

Quill chewed on his next words and also some swamp-grass appetizers.

"Your Majesty, you have influence. You lead a strong world, you've got a martial reputation that the Nagai clearly respect. There might be a way forward even if Intelligence finds nothing - a cleaner way. Privately, you could persuade the Ambassador to take the kind of stance that leads to a solution. I think he would listen to you."

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

Diplomacy: Post 4
Jend-Ro Quill

"I would like to find a way without tarnishing any party's brand" she eyed the ambassador across the hall, conversing with others in his retinue. Ki knew little about the Nagai's background, what she did though, perhaps she could use to gain leverage on the man,"I think I may take your idea and run with it." she quickly finished the drink in her hand, before swiping a full glass from a passing service droid and finishing that one as well. She regretted drinking anything that fast.

"Buy me as much time as possible and wish me luck." she turned and began striding in the Nagai delegation's direction before looking over her shoulder with a smirk,"If I need assistance, you'll know."

It took the Empress little time to find herself in the midst of the Nagai, dismissing her own entourage to appear more friendly as she approached. She stepped among their numbers, taking the occasional compliment and attempt at small talk before reaching her target with a big smile,"Ambassador Gleeson, it is an honor to finally meet you. Would you mind accompanying me for a walk?"

 

[Sinestra]

Jude wasn't the only one praying for these negotiations to go well. Grandpa Jedi and the Cat Ear Empress were all for resolving this matter through the art of dialogue. The operative wasn't really looking forward to infiltrating that fortress of a shuttle.

The ambassador's shuttle rested on one of the many little isles above the marsh which served as landing platforms on Manpha. Dead plant odors lingered heavy in the air to the point Jude had given up earlier on trying to fix the air filter in his own vessel. Extra large mosquitoes were a hard battle to engage with and the operative was fine with bathing himself with a mosquito repellent. Manpha sucked.

He looked back at the little isle of a platform. Two guards at the entry to the platform, two at the ramp and two patrolling around the ship. No cover to hide behind, nor to sneak through. A barren little isle with a ship on it and armed Nagai. Jude examined the area around the isle and saw the traffic of air ships slowly hovering towards their destination. He glanced at his repulsor boots and figured it out.

Time to buy a sight-seeing ticket.

 

[Atlas Drake]

"You told me you were here to restrain your people's violent impulses."

"And so I am," Gleeson stiffened at the implication of dishonesty.

"Not to insult their cuisine," Atlas pointed out.

"They insult us," the nagai took a menacing step towards him.

"You search for insults where there are none to be found," the Kathol officer met his gaze and did not flinch.

"Bah!" Ambassador Gleeson waved his hand in disgust, but broke eye contact first. The matter was considered resolved.

"Ambassador Gleeson, it is an honor to finally meet you. Would you mind accompanying me for a walk?"

"Empress Kimiko Taiyou ," he gave a formal bow and nudged Gleeson into inclining his chest and crossing one hand across his heart in a warrior's show of respect, "Do not let me keep you."

Captain Drake of the KRV Beyond bowed once more and stepped away from the two dignitaries. He circled over to Jend-Ro Quill who had just engaged the Sakuran noble in conversation.

"They are easy to judge," he admitted to the Jedi without any prompting, "This vendetta against the Shawda Ubb. I don't pretend to understand it. But they've fought well with us in the past. The ambassador saved my life when we evacuated Saijo. Convincing him of reconciliation's merits...has not been easy."

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

As Kimiko Taiyou split off with the Ambassador, Quill found himself approached by Captain Atlas Drake .

"Personal loyalty and a sense of one's team aren't bad things, Captain. Jedi debate whether they keep you from seeing clearly, or whether they grant clearer sight by opening the door to compassion. A little esoteric, so let me be blunt: I hope the Ambassador is salvageable, because right now he's the crux of the problem in that room. With luck, Her Majesty can talk him into approaching all this in good faith."

 

[Sinestra]

The pungent smell of the marshlands below followed him up on the airship. There was no escape and he had to accept that. Jude moved to the lower deck of the airship where there were less travelers and found the perfect spot for his jump - at the end of the deck where there were lavatories was a window he could open. All he had to do was remain unseen by the rest and he had just the trick up his sleeve to do that.

The airship hovered slowly towards its destination and soon enough he saw the familiar landscape of the platform isles. He slid open the window silently and called the Force to his aid; the commuters aboard the lower deck suddenly found great interest in their datapads. With a shit-eating smirk Jude fell backwards over the window.

Kicking in action the repulsor boots just before the landfall, he made touch down with a loud thud on the top of the ambassador's ship. He glued himself to the hull as alert eyes turned to the source of the unexpected noise. The operative sought the Force once more and clung to the minds of the cautious Nagai guards. He was about to lose himself in the ethereal when the mind of one of them lingered over an appealing ex-girlfriend but pulled himself out and distracted the guards by inserting the fake notion that there was something incredibly dangerous in the swamp waters. Hurried footsteps convened on one spot next to the swamp and stared at the mossy water. Jude crawled to a hatch, opened it and slid down to come face to face with another equally surprised Nagai enforcer.

"Shit."

 

[Atlas Drake]

"I share your concerns," Atlas nodded, "The nagai define themselves by their skill and lust for battle. Their home galaxy is a crucible that has formed a thoroughly martial culture. They respect us because they've seen the Alliance fight, we've bloodied the same ground together. Until they can see the Shawda Ubb as allies to be respected and not foes to be scorned I'm not sure our word alone is enough to sway them from this folly."

He crossed his arms, eyes following the ambassador and Kimiko Taiyou thoughtfully.

"Then again, perhaps the guiding perspective of an authority figure like the Empress is just what we need."

Captain Drake's comlink buzzed insistently despite his programmed settings. This must be an emergency.

"Yes what is it?" he snapped and his frown deepened.

He glanced over at Jend-Ro Quill , "There has been some kind of incident. An explosion at the spaceport. If I might impose upon you to be on your guard."

 

[Sinestra]

Nagai boy was fast but Jude Falkrowe was faster. He hurled his charric pistol at the guard hitting him straight in the head, toppling him down like a sack of potatoes.

"Too close." he muttered to himself and picked up his pistol from the ground. "Now, where is ol' Glesson's room?"

Silent as a cat, Jude cautiously moved from quarter to quarter taking a peek at each section of the ship. Looked like no one else was on board.

"Damn, now that's expensive." Jude stopped in his tracks to marvel at the most exquisite artwork he had ever seen. Its frames were pure platinum and the ship's lights reflection on it gave the painting an even more admiring appearance.

On the port side of the ship, Jude found the ambassador's quarters to which the artwork he saw previously compared to a pile of trash on a Terminus back alley. There was surprising urge of kleptomania but the agent kept his impulses under control and sat down on the private terminal.

"Let's see what we've got." he said to himself and inserted the data spike.