Dark Days Assignment

[Neldar Poska]

[member="Tanomas Graf"]


It was cold, and it was quiet. The Queen rested, for the day before she had went through ideas and plans for the coming days. This is not how things were meant to, but the alternative was no better. During her dismay, it seemed that everyone and everwslowed down just a little. There was no energy in the hive. Other Geonosians from other hives felt it too, they knew what was going on, but they did not know their future.

Joost came walking in, from one of the tunnels from the major part of the Hive, seeking his Queen. He could have contacted her with a holocomm, or sent a Geonosian, but he needed to see his Queen and she needed better.

<"My Queen, you ar weary."> Joost saod, approaching and slowly kneeling down to her, leaning on a spear as support.

<"Oh, hello Joost. I did not expect you to come all the way down here. Did you come just for me? How are you..."> The Queen pondered, knowing something has to be up.

<"I don't know if you are still searching, Queen Gisela, but I believe I have found someone with prestige and power. He is currently a Rogue Admiral, from the First Order. My sources say he could help us. He is a very powerful, rich, and respected man. I think we could also aid him.">

Gisela perked up, opening her weary eyes as Joost spoke. Her interest was peaked, someone who could finally support her? Well, there's not much to support now... They'd be... Helping, or saving, from the next event. <"This is wonderful, Joost... I... I can only hope we even get a response. So few care for Geonosians these days. Yes, contact him.">

Joost nodded, pulling out his holocomm device <"I believe I can attempt contact with him on open channels, maybe later we can get a private channel with him. All we can do, is wait, my Queen">

Joost put in the settings on his holocomm device, and walked over to Giselas larger comm table, using it to transmit a stronger frequency, attempting to contact the Admiral. <"This is Archduke Joost the Lawful of Geonosis. We wish to speak with the Great Admiral with the name 'Tanomas Graf.'">

 

[Tanomas Graf]

[member="Gisela the Righteous"]

Deep in the Vergesso Asteroid Field, sat an old man in the middle of constructing a laser cannon. Graf enjoyed anything that involved starships, and even though he was old and owner of the company, he still tried his hand at building some of the components for the smaller vessels of IES. Sparks flew as he used a plasma torch to fuse durasteel panels together, Tanomas almost didn't hear his comlink go off. Putting the torch down and wiping his grimy hands on a particularly ratty cloth, Graf grabbed the device and answered.

"Sir, we're getting a message from Geonosis, requesting to speak with you." A technician said on the other side.

Geonosis? Who on Geonosis would want to speak with him?

"Put them through." Graf ordered, he heard a quick wave of static before he was connected with the person that had requested him.

"This is Tanomas Graf, how may I assist?"

 

[Neldar Poska]

[member="Tanomas Graf"]

"This is Tanomas Graf, how may I assist?"​

Gisela's eyes widened, a response! She allowed Joost to address him formally, her personality needed not to damage this greetings.

<"This is... Admiral Graf? The same that left the First Order, my sources tell me?"> The holocomm continued to translate their speech into basic. If Graf had a holo display on his comm, it would show a Geonosian speaking to him. <"This is Archduke Joost the Lawful, Aechduke of Geonosis, to Prime Queen Gisela the Righteous of Geonosis, who is present with me. We are in desperate need of assistance. This is a public comm, however... I will send details of our distress to you now through a secure transfer. We have not much to offer, but we can offer what we can if gou can offer aid to us, Admiral. We would be in your debt and owe you our lives. A war is coming. Either we survive, or we don't. Please, look the information over and tell us what you make of it.">

 

[Tanomas Graf]

[member="Gisela The Righteous"]

Graf listened intently. Once he assured himself that the information transfer was complete, he made his way over to one of the holoterminals to actually view the secured message.

"Hmpf." Could be heard by the party on the opposite side of the communication. Tanomas discreetly typed something rapidly on the console, which activated imperial encryption protocols on the call. "So the Confederacy is threatening your hive, and you don't have the military power to defend it. I can provide you with a navy, weapons, and soon, elite marines." The old man stated, ruffling his mustache.

"I can provide all of this, and possibly more, Archduke. It all depends on what your queen can offer me when this is over."

 

[Neldar Poska]

[member="Tanomas Graf"]


The Archduke and the Queen waited patiently, but it would be a lie if they said they weren't anxious. If they had this Admiral, they had the potential of shifting the war. Then, there it was, the Admirals response... A great offer. Joost looked up to the Queen and she nodded in silence, givong Joost full control, knowing he would do the best for the Geonosians.

<"Admiral, we are willing to offer you the full strength of Geonosis; We will aid your company expansion, and your strength and influence expansion. We could offer you a work force, fleets, Geonosian manpower. Everything can also be negotiated, everything is on the table. Could we call on you when it is the time?">

 

[Tanomas Graf]

[member="Gisela the Righteous"]

The question rang through Graf's ears for at least ten seconds as he analyzed the situation. If he supported the Geonosian cause, he would be receiving an entire workforce, the very same one that built the Death Star, but he would also be provoking a war between IES and the Confederacy. Back in the First Order he had looked over a report about the CIS, it was a small faction that was rapidly industrializing Geonosis and producing small but powerful vessels at an alarming rate.

If Graf still had the resources of the First Order, he could've said yes without breaking a sweat, but in the Galactic Alliance he didn't want to drag that faction into a war, he'd have to settle with the currently miniscule but strong resources that IES could build, he also had the Avenger but that was currently being retrofitted.

One beat of absolute silence passed.

"You have my word."

 

[Neldar Poska]

[member="Tanomas Graf"]

A weird smile, or something, perked up on the Geonosians face, Joosts face. <"Thank you, Admiral. Now is there anything else we should discuss - oh, I need to mention. We have our own small fleet here for defense forces. However, here, on the ground, I will be too busy coordinating my people to attack facilities and droid armies. My Queen needs to stay hidden, she will be protected, but holonet communication can be traced, and we don't really have security, so it will remain radio silent during the mission. Do you mind taking command of our little task force? They aren't as great as the ships you've recently built, only some new Geonosian designs and some old Confederacy ships. So, my apologies, is there anything at all we need to discuss? Again, my Queen and I thank you graciously, Admiral.">

 

[Tanomas Graf]

[member="Gisela the Righteous"]

Graf grimaced once he heard this, he expected to help by supplying vessels, but not by leading the charge himself. Tanomas carefully weighed his options, and decided that he could do it, he was an admiral after all.

"Understood, do you know when you will begin the attack? It'll take a little while for the fleet to arrive from Vergesso. If we time it perfectly we can catch the Confederacy fleet off guard as your ground attack begins." Graf stated. Glancing over, he looked out of a transparisteel viewport towards the Avenger, she was a beautiful ship.

 

[Neldar Poska]

[member="Tanomas Graf"]


Gisela was oblivious to everything but the fact that the Admiral would agree, but Joost could tell he said something that offput the Admiral. He hoped nothing was wrong, but he would cater to the Admirals feelings since he offered his help. <"Admiral, is everything alright? I apologize, I suppose I wasn't too clear in our initial request for support. If we wish to make this tactical, we could time it right and cut off the planets outside communication and hit them at their weakest. But I did expect we would attempt to ask them to leave first. It is the respectful thing to do, hoping no one would have to die. But it feels so futile, I feel it would he useless, so I have been planning strategy on the ground.">

Joost took a breath, sighing. He didn't want a war, but the CIS has caused so much damage, his people may never recover if they don't leave. Joost knew that the Geonosians had to lead their planet again, they needed their honor and tradition, these people never even tried to understand them. They are a dependent species when it comes to the galaxy at large, but thry live in Isolation for a reason. They haven't found a way to bring their lifestyle to the stars, at least, permanently.

<"I wouldn't ask you to risk your people like this, Admiral, if it wasn't imperative. I hope you understand this is the last resort option, and was not our first. If we don't step up, the CIS could force our kind into an state that they will give up on living. We are a fragile species, it's why we have always lead our people in the past. If this fails, we must leave Geonosis. If this fails, I will expect you to leave before you lose too much. We would relocate and compensate your losses. But an entire civilization will be doomed because some warlord needs their war machines.">

 

[Tanomas Graf]

His mind was made up, he wanted to help the Geonosians, and he also wanted to destabilize the CIS in the region so he could set his grand plan in motion. He would have to get involved personally, he would have to make sure the CIS could never harm the Geonosians or him once they were done, to lower the chances of a successfuly counter-attack. But what about the Galactic Alliance, what would they do when they realized he had gone AWOL and attacked the Confederacy with a vessel affiliated with them?

"I will help with all I can, I do not wish to see the Geonosians eradicated nor do I want to see the Confederacy grow stronger. Contact me when you are ready to attack and I will be there, I promise, for both me and my empire." Graf said as he clenched his fist, he needed to contact his 'ally' at Void Station, it was time to start phase one.

The Empire remembers.