Dominion Born on the Bayou (OPA Dominion of Manpha)

[Jend-Ro Quill]

Atlas Drake

For a dizzying moment, Quill thought of Sinestra and all the things that could go wrong while sneaking aboard the Ambassador's shuttle. But an explosion wasn't really one of them, and the shuttle had landed elsewhere if he remembered right.

"Explosion is a fairly broad category, Captain. Grenade? Neutron bomb? I suppose it's too soon to know who's involved?"

The big gallery took on an air of tension as various people checked their personal devices. Word was spreading.

 

[Atlas Drake]

Atlas ignored the Jedi's insistent questions for a moment, relaying orders for any OPA gunhands to converge on the spaceport.

"There's a lot of confusion," he turned back to Jend-Ro Quill , "An OPA frigate has taken damage, no word on any casualties. At first it looked like an accident but now that same ship is apparently being targeted by las fire."

His eyes widened in alarm and he asked whoever was on the comlink to confirm.

"Whoever they are, they've taken hostages. Local hostages."

Captain Drake reached down for a holster that wasn't there.

"Are you armed?" he asked the Jedi.

 

[Sinestra]

"Hurry the fu- finally." Jude moaned after waiting far too long for the data spike to do its work. ORION gear - never reliable.

"Right, let's see what we've got. No. Nope. Nah. Huh? Never knew Glesson was a cosplayer in his free time. Feth. There's nothing incriminating him- oh! Would you look at that? It's no Imperial allegiance proof but a mistress. Mistresses actually. Every politician had one, never a problem until it got public. But shit, there had to be some First Order communiques here. Freaking good-for-nothing data spike. Oh well."

Jude ejected the data spike and hurried to leave. He couldn't help but steal one fancy looking pen from the man's drawer.

Now for the exit plan.

What plan?

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

Atlas Drake

"Lightsaber."

He'd been of two minds whether to bring the dang thing. It sent a lot of messages depending on who was looking. On balance he'd decided he was overthinking it and just kept it a little farther back on his belt where his outer robe would keep it out of sight. He stretched out to the Force, trying to get a sense of whether this meeting was at risk. It was certainly a softer target than an OPA capital ship, and probably a more effective one if the attackers were trying to stir the political pot.

But the summit's location was more or less secret, and a landed capital ship definitely wasn't.

Quill relaxed fractionally. "I don't sense any malice here. Plenty of nerves. I think you should say something."

 

[Sinestra]

​

The Nagai security he had knocked out earlier was just stirring up to see Jude Falkrowe creeping towards the ship's ramp.

"Hey! All personnel, we've got an intruder exiting the ship!"

Jude couldn't turn even if he wanted to, he was busy dodging blaster fire from his rear. He slammed the ramp open and hijacked the convenient speeder bike in the hold. The maw of the ship slid down greeting him with the blaster fire of the security outside the ship but all they could taste was the dust as the tuned up bike ripped through the air and left the pale folks firing at the wind and shouting alien curses.

"Granpa, Empress and that navy stiffneck y'all got at the party." the agent called through his com as he steered the bike through the traffic with one hand. Clearly, he had done this before. "So good news or bad news first?"

Their choice would be the first news they would hear.

GOOD NEWS FIRST

Spoiler

"Optimistic, ain't ya? Well, long story short. Got some incriminatin- TURN ON YOUR FETHING BLINKER - what was I sayin'? Ah, yeah. Got bad info on your pal Glesson. Couldn't find no proof of FO paychecks but Glesson's got a few mistresses back home. Quite a few to be honest. One naughty pale boy."

BAD NEWS FIRST

Spoiler

Well, let's say I got to lay low for a while before I get extracted outta here. Security caught me on the run. Y'all about to hear about it from Glesson, I reckon. So get y'all's diplomacy panties on cause y'alls party might get a bit hot."

Kimiko Taiyou Jend-Ro Quill Atlas Drake

 

[Mishel Kryze]

"I appreciate your graciousness," Ren remarked as she bowed toward the Nagai. They were led to a small ramshackle hut where the negotiations began. It would be rather simple, the eyes and ears of the Ren in exchange for a purchase of land. The FN unit stood guard outside and minded the hoverboat. "Yes, and we could use your expertise..." Her voice trailed off like a sweet song left to linger on the holo.​

​

"The Order of Ren has been left to my brother, so I have no concerns for their future."​

​

The Nagai quietly talked amongst themselves.​

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"I am however looking to build a new order, one that will be a more public face for those within the First Order, and I could use your expertise."​

​

A new order, one that did not hide in the shadows but worked with the public and would serve as their staunch protectors. Force Users were good but in small and controlled quantities. The Nagai's reputation preceded them and with Echani and Chiss refugees now living among many First Imperials, the Nagai would only add to their diversity. The delegation replied asking for more land and of that Ren nodded, after all - it would only be a matter of time before the bureaucrats had their way.​

​

"Then the matter is settled?"​

​

"Good, I am very glad to hear it."​

​

Select members of the Nagai would go and live among their brethren those who had aligned themselves with the Alliance once more. While the rest remained behind, and yet there was still that suspicion that someone might turn. "Be warned, however, should you decide to turncoat for the sake of goodness. I will know." She stood to her feet and looked toward CO-0195 who smirked, laced within the meal they had shared with the Nagai were small nanoprobes that would attach themselves to the inner lining of the Nagai's throat. They were coated with natural biological agents as to not be detected. ​

​

"But fret not, and go in peace we welcome this new partnership." Ren's words were so sweet and so comforting that the Nagai seemed to be happier as they left than when they arrived. ​

​

The objective for Ren had been complete, and as her FN unit escorted her out. "Send for CO-0211 her task is to watch the Nagai."​

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"Of course."​

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"Let us leave this place, there is much work to be done."​

​

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

Commotion threatened to pull Gleeson's attention away from their little talk, but Ki managed to wrangle him back in with a pull on his arm,"Whatever is happening, they can handle." she grinned optimistically. They had been talking of one another's exploits at Saijo and how Ki had openly welcomed the displaced people to the second planet in her system as a new home. It had opened up quite a bit of talk of the man's martial history for his people, a history the Empress was more than happy to bring forward.

She continued their path, towards the balcony of the conference hall, arm in his,"With all the past behind us, and the shared history we seem to have with one another, I do thank you for coming and representing your people here. It brightens my mood when opposing sides are willing to meet at a table for peace instead of a battle-field. Not that there is not a time and place for such a thing. But, there is something you want more here, something you seem to be hiding from. Call it woman's intuition, but I just want to hear what it is from you, just you. Not at the table, not in front of either entourage. Just talk to me, one leader to another, and maybe we can come to decisive compromise here that would benefit all parties, yes?" out came the eyes and the flirtatious smile, hoping to add a bit of smoulder to her words.

Atlas Drake | Sinestra | Jend-Ro Quill

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

The operative's mission had failed, and Quill couldn't regret that. By his sense of the Ambassador's state of mind, Empress Kimiko Taiyou was doing a great job. And that was even after the tension about the explosion at the spaceport. Quill found himself genuinely relaxing. He treated himself to more marsh grass canapes.

Soon enough the official mixer would conclude and the next phase of meetings would begin. He knew without a doubt that he'd hate every minute of it - the huge yet cramped boardroom, the talking, the smell of expensive people in close quarters. Diplomacy was objectively the worst. It just happened to be better than the alternatives.

 

[Shira Varanin]

OPA vessel Memoriam
Shanpan Starport

In the end, the terrorists hadn't meant to last long. They'd known - they had to have known - that a capital ship and a capital starport had enough security forces to end the situation one way or another. It took a good hour to put down the last of them.

Out of twenty-three Shawda Ubb hostages, six required medical care and one died, courtesy of an execution-style blaster bolt to the skull - a heartbeat before an OPA Partisan put a similar bolt through the terrorist's dissimilar skull.

Out of fifteen terrorists (not counting the two or three who drove the suicide bomb under the Memoriam), only four were taken alive. The rest were, well, not. And Shira couldn't feel bad about that. She wasn't even sure she was supposed to.

As the situation wound down and the locals carted off the surviving terrorists, two things became clear. These were pseudo-Imperial pro-human radicals, and they were drugged to the gills with a frenzy-inducing combination of bavvan spice and Seoularian opioids. Someone, somewhere, had set this up. But the survivors didn't know much of anything. Anyone who knew the source of the drugs was currently missing about half their brainpan.

One crisis down. Who knew how many more to go.

 

[Atlas Drake]

Gleeson stiffened at the Empress' bold words. He stared Kimiko Taiyou in the eyes with a typical wild gaze for his people that indicated they were speaking on matters of deadly importance.

"We are not fools. We know what we are, Empress," the nagai representative admitted, "We know how your Alliance sees us. We know how the Shawda Ubb see us. Blunt instruments at best...dangerous at worst. If we are to make peace my people need assurances. The frog men remember and they do not forgive. We defeated them once before, to allow them victory over us through politics...it would be shameful. They do not deserve it."

One of the nagai's aide approached humbly and whispered in Gleeson's ear. His eyes widened in surprise and then rage.

"Perhaps it has already begun?! One of your agents was chased from my ship. Perhaps the Alliance has made their choice already!"

"I believe I can explain that ambassador," Atlas stepped in not a moment too soon, "Everyone please remain calm! There has been an attack on the spaceport, the situation is contained and there is no further threat here so far as we know. OPA agents are on site and investigating to make sure. I hope you understand ambassador that as many local Shawda Ubb were taken hostage we had to pursue Saijo as a possible lead. Unfortunately it seems to be the work of Imperial radicals, an entirely separate matter."

The ambassador processed this new and shocking information.

"Well then," Gleeson inclined his head ever so slightly, "My apologies, Empress."