Don't Stop Me Now [First Order Military Ball]

[Ludolf Vaas]

There was nothing General Vaas liked more than the sight of his Army in perfect formation, standing at attention in the palace courtyard of the First Order's capital of Dosuun. The Stormtroopers were like ivory statues arrayed in precise lines on the street, flanked by black-clad naval officers and pilots, showing a full display of the First Order's growing might. While the rest of the galaxy had continued to spiral further into turmoil, the First Order had been quietly building their strength in their remote corner of the galaxy. Now, with several victories under their belt, the First Order had become less reticent to avoid brazen displays of power signaling. In fact, General Ludolf Vaas had requested it himself.

After the successful campaigns, the men of the First Order needed a boost in morale. And Ludolf was no stranger to the ways of his men underneath him. There was a time for war, and also a time for celebration.

"The preparations are complete, sir," One of Ludolf's officers said to him over his shoulder.

"Good," Vaas nodded to him, before stepping forward to address the gathered legions in the palace square.

"Men of the First Order," he began. "Long have we labored in pursuit of a great dream. The enemies of our people have driven us to far-off corners of the galaxy in their relentless quest for destruction and social decay. But look what we have done. We came to Dosuun as a band of outcast and ideologues, shunned by the rest of the corrupt galaxy. And look what we have created."

Behind him, the banner of the First Order billowed gently in the evening breeze. Somewhere far off in the horizon, fireworks were being unleashed.

"They laughed at us and said it could not be done. But no one is laughing anymore. Here we have created an Order which will last a thousand years. We have poured our blood into creating it, and some have even given their lives. But we have never faltered in the face of adversity, because the future belongs to those who show up for it. The future is now, and it is ours! The First Order is more than just the grand buildings we have constructed, or the planets we have conquered. The First Order is living and breathing. It is the blood in our veins. It is me, and it is you. We are the First Order!"

Ludolf paused to allow his words to sink in with the troops.

"Legions of the First Order, you have gone forth and conquered. But tonight we set aside our tools of war and celebrate all that we have achieved together. So I bid you all to eat, drink and be merry, for you have earned it with your blood, sweat and tears. For the First Order!"

His long black trenchcoat swirling behind him, Ludolf turned and stepped away from the podium. There was much work to be done tonight. The palace would be opened up to the guests, who were expected to come wearing formal dress. There would be music, food, and dancing, and there would undoubtedly be apearances from the Knights of Ren and other government officials. The First Order had even extended a formal invitation to the One Sith and the Techno Union as an act of diplomacy. Many would be in attendance tonight. For this purpose, a walkway up to the palace was created, where shuttles were already landing, carrying various dignitaries and esteemed guests from around the galaxy.

​

​

The night was young, and the party was just getting started. Yet there would be one final surprise in store for the men and women of the First Order tonight. Unbeknownst to all except for High Command, the Supreme Leader himself was set to make an appearance.

[Formal dress required!]
[Bringing a date from another faction is allowed!]
[Sneak in and cause trouble at your own risk!]

Spoiler

[member="Viktor Alexander"]
[member="Icarus"]
[member="Natasi Fortan"]
[member="Larry Cheswa"]
[member="Sentiri"]
[member="Cameron Centurion"]
[member="Amorella Mae"]
[member="Raph Tritum"]
[member="Echo Kora"]
[member="Konrad von Grimmelshausen"]
[member="OK-3103"]
[member="Harley"]
[member="Gunther Creed"]
[member="Darth Vornskr"]
[member="Tymon"]
[member="Kriel Firin"]
[member="Lt. Viper"]
[member="Aram Kalast"]
[member="Ricochet"]
[member="Clovis Torcularis"]
[member="Sibar Laval"]
[member="Evangeline Ovmar"]
[member="Colrenth Renfrew"]
[member="Arthan Corvax"]
[member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Hailey Sosis]

[member="Ludolf Vaas"]

Damn why did they have to say she had to wear a dress, she was not paid that much, though her out going was minimal due to all the stealing she did. If it was not for [member="Darth Vornskr"] going she would snuck in, and not wore a dress. Though seeing her boss was going, she thought she better make the effort. So she had one made, using mind trick of course, and making the tailor pay her for the privilege, she did have keep some of creditably after all.

She was not sure this was the right party for her, as it was full of stuck up types, but then again they where good for a little attention, for a little while.
So would she get away with stealing the silver ware or not was the question.

http://girly-adoptables.deviantart.com/art/Harley-Quinn-Outfit-Adopt-Closed-495467183

 

[Larry Cheswa]

I wear my officers uniform, but still have my old imperial stormtrooper helmet under my arm, it was a symbol of resilience, power, and overall awesomeness for me. It was in my family for many generations, and I am not parting with it now. To me it was 'formal dress'. But I still wore my officer uniform anyway. I walk up to [member="Ludolf Vaas"], "General Vaas! That was a brilliant speech, no other would have sufficed, how is your day? Well, its obviously going great up to this point."

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

I strolled into the gathering, wearing a tailor made robe of black and red with my white mask, black boots, and black gloves. I elected to wear this mask, despite it didn't do the proper job as my normal mask did, but I needed to breath. The mask, however, didn't engulf my entire head and throat area, leaving my blue and black hair to flow about. As for the scars on my throat, there wasn't much to be done about that. It was the state of my face that would have put the thought into people's minds that this ball was a screening for a horror movie. I the lead role.

Still the mask was proper and formal enough, even though like my other one, the one I wear everyday except when I sleep, it still made my voice sound mechanical or droid like. Those that know me already know what I sound like so there was no surprise there. The best part of this mask, unlike the other one, was that the tubes that extended down my gullet and into my lungs was far more comfortable and less painful where as the other mask was devastating to my pain sensors. But as a follower of the Darkside, I used that to my advantage.

Outside my attire, the only other noticeable accessory was the lightsaber hilt dangling from my belt. Formal or not, the First Order still possessed enemies and what better way to strike a crippling blow to us by making an assault where most of the important people, me not included, where gathered in one giant basket.

I missed most of the speech, catching the tail end of it but I got the gist. I wasn't around to bask in all our achievements, so there was no credit due to me. But for those that were I respected them for their success in passing the tribulations the galaxy likes to hurl at those with a common idea. I looked around at the people, feeling through the Force their positive emotions. For one that wields the Darkside of the Force, positive emotions wasn't my thing. I'm one-hundred percent negative emotions all the way. Still, they deserved this.

I stopped at the buffet table, feeling jealous of those able to indulge in real food and drinks. With the ruined state of both my larynx and entire internal throat region, I was subjugated to using tubes installed in my masks as a way to achieve my nourishment. Luckily, I already took the opportunity to indulge in my liquid diet before attending the ball. Now I can sit back and just people watch.

 

[Evangeline Ovmar]

Formal attire? Check. Attendance? Check. Glass of punch? Check.

All the key things necessary for a military ball. Sure, attendance was given as optional, but for the officer cadre it was only 'optional' for attendance. In short, you were expected to attend to move and shake with the rest of them, but you were not required to show up. That said, those that blew off these sorts of things often found their career finding a nice, quiet dead end. And so, Evangeline Ovmar, Commodore of the First Order's Navy, occupied a quiet corner with a glass of punch in her hand to try and stay just visible enough to be noticed later on, but out of the way enough to be left alone.

"Ten o'clock, punch bowl," she said quietly to her brother beside her, using the glass of punch to hide her mouth in case anyone was astute enough to lip read. "Her hair looks like a broken rolling pin had non-consensual relations with a badly made beehive. Ambassador's wife?"

She sipped the punch and lowered the glass a bit. It was a game the two had played on occasion when required to be in public. Some called it mocking, and it entirely was making fun of people, but it also kept their wits sharp, too, by finding, spotting, and relaying individuals with an entertainingly bad grasp of hair or clothing styles.

[member="Niklaus Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Evangeline Ovmar"]

Eyes on the prize. Said price was the punch bowl right now, if there was one thing that could get me through this thing it was- well, it was punch, nothing like a good old Corellian whiskey or anything, but what's a man going to do in the Order? Though honestly... it ain't like I experienced much of the general lack-luster and rigid systems in place: serving in Eva's shadow had its perks, mostly that caring about the politics and shettery was all on her shoulders and in turn I could just do me.

That didn't mean the suits were any more comfortable though.

"Negative, the Ambassador's wife is the one with the dress that spells daddy issues. Bright red, low cut and black stiletto heels?" I sniffed and poured some of that alcoholic beverage into the glass.

"Scandalous."

I took a wide-look around. People all over, some of the most powerful of the First Order... which didn't mean as much as they thought it did. When you had giants like the Sith Empire breathing down your neck at Panatha, the Galactic Alliance rising up around Sullust and reaching as far as Fondor, the dying corpse of the Techno Union still making some sparing twitches?

Well, those were the ancients in an old game, whereas these people were the new kids on the block.

"Check your six, Commodore." and there he was. All puffed up like a little peacock ready for his personal mating season. "What was it the General suggested to you again last month?"

 

[Evangeline Ovmar]

At her brother's words, Ovmar simply sighed silently.

"Don't lose track of that," she said, referring to her brother's flask. "I'll need that here in a second."

She didn't bother turning around, she could hear the general's boots on the floor as he walked. It was an interesting step, not a staccato, but not a thump either. It was as if someone had taken a snare drum, thrown away the drumsticks, and replaced them with ballpeen hammers.

"Captain Ovmar!" he called as he drew near.

"Commodore," she corrected, drawing a silent string of impressive and highly inappropriate curses from Evangeline as she realized she'd corrected him without thinking. It was habit, but one that she kept hoping she'd lose one of these days.

"Commodore, yes, sorry," came the response. General Bachias was indeed the peacock, his uniform in pristine condition and and his medals seemingly just shined on the way to greet her. She found it set her teeth on edge rather than the impression the General desired. "I was wondering if I might borrow you for a few moments. I had some questions on the new war material you'd recently pitched to the high command. Maybe over a drink?"

"I appreciate the interest," No, no I do not. "But I'm actually about to meet with one of my lead scientists in a few moments." By that I mean run to the second floor and hide from your preening. "Perhaps another time." Go away.

"Ah, indeed, perhaps. I'll have my liaison contact your offices to perhaps set a time we can speak," the General stated with an understanding nod. Most would have picked up on the casual disinterest, but General Bachias was a special, thick headed kind of individual. Ovmar fully expected a call to her office within the hour most likely, something she wasn't keen on. "Until then."

With a polite nod, the man left and moved on into the crowd. Eva raised her punch glass and paused before taking a sip.

"Puffed up, arrogant, small minded, unintelligent..."

She let the string of quiet insults continue for a moment or two longer before ending with the word 'peacock' and some grumbling.

"And for your information, he suggested that perhaps I could work as a specialist advisor for his offices. Something like coordination position between the 'Corps and the Navy. Like I'd ever take such a position, much less deal with his interests on a regular basis."

[member="Niklaus Ovmar"]

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Cameron's gaze swept the scene casually just as he'd finished ascending the lavishly carpeted steps leading to the entrance to the palace. Though the Master of Ren spent most of his time among the First Order shrouded in a tell-tale dark blue and gray cloak that he'd adopted during his time with the Moross Crusade, he'd abandoned that attire for a simple fitted black tuxedo. His bright silver-green gaze contrasted sharply with his otherwise dark appearance, but, as was typical, the brilliance of his gaze paled in comparison to the bright blue orbs of his date and partner in life.

Linked arm-in-arm with [member="Amorella Mae"], the Sith Lord was...certainly on guard. He was perfectly well aware of whom had been invited to the spectacle. There would potentially be some in attendance that believed their marriage to have been a result of political maneuvering when Esmae was still heir to the throne on Kuat. Yet, there would no doubt be others that might perhaps know the truth. At this point, Cameron could not possibly have cared less, and he was perfectly comfortable displaying the overflowing love he had for the woman.

Just as they entered the grand reception hall, the Sith Lord leaned down to whisper something into the woman's ear. "Missing palace affairs yet?" A soft smile touched Cameron's lips as he returned to his full height. For the briefest of moments, he thought back to the first tim e he'd ever seen Amorella at a party hosted by her mother on Kuat. He'd paid the exuberant teen little attention at the time. Funny how things worked out in life.

 

[Ereza]

Classical elegance was a theme to live by and one that Amorella would present to the people of the First Order with graceful regard. The black evening gown was meant to appeal to the regal tastes of the people Cameron now worked with, understated simplicity with attention to detailing - much like the governance of the Order's militia. It would, with luck, help maintain a neutral stance on just where the Ren Master's mate stood where it came to loyalties.

To say that she had been helping the enemy would not be a lie. Thus far public connections to VANIR and the Eve Foundation were not wide-spread. Funding for humanitarian efforts were a quiet accord and only those of sharp eye might catch the flash to her stride demarking the line of SIN footwear that elevated the otherwise diminutive-statured woman to a height that afforded [member="Cameron Centurion"]'s back a break from leaning too far for his whispered words.

They caused a frown to pull at her lips, blue eyes sliding upwards to the smirk on his face.

"No," she answered quietly, truthfully. The palace life had never quite suited her, but that was not to say there were not other things she missed. Family, for instance, and the tight bond she'd once held with her mother now severed over the decline of the crown.

"Do you miss your divine affairs?"

The Knights of Ren were a far cry from the Moross Crusade, though perhaps on part with their zealotry, or so she'd heard.

 

[Kenrath]

Being assigned to the capital Viktor was there well ahead of the others dressed in a simple black Tux listening to the speech given by [member="Ludolf Vaas"] the Commanding Officer of the First Order Army. On his arm the lovely [member="Jia Zhu"] slightly to his left. Once the speech was over he looked over to Jia with a smile.

"That was General Vaas." "I have a only met him once under unusual circumstances."

He winked to Jia before making his way up the steps to the Palace. He kept her close to his side making his way in. He stopped for a brief moment scanning the crowd seeing a few familiar faces. The firs the recognized was the of [member="Evangeline Ovmar"] making his way towards her.

"Commodore Ovmar, a pleasure to see you here and congratulations on your Promotion." "This is a good friend of mine Miss Jia Zhu."

He extended his hand towards [member="Niklaus Ovmar"] with a smile.

"Commissioner Viktor Alexander."


[member="Cameron Centurion"] [member="Amorella Mae"] [member="Clovis Torcularis"] [member="Larry Cheswa"] [member="Harley"]

 

[Jia Zhu]

Jia couldn't believe she was actually at a real ball. She had a beautiful dress on that had been bought by Viktor Alexander. Apparently she made a good impression in him the other day. He had sent a letter for her to come with him to lunch and then now the ball.

She knew the Mistress of her house was furious but you didn't turn down a man like Viktor. She leaned into his touch as he spoke down towards her. "Oh. I understand. It was a nice speech ." he led her towards the stairs with a wink to which she giggled. Jia blushed,slightly as she giggled and she looked down. Jia lifted her head as he introduced her to a couple of people that she didn't know. "Nice to meet you."





[member="Viktor Alexander"]."

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

The "I actually can't believe I found a picture of Darth Maul in a suit"

Spoiler

Is there any handicap parking available?

A lone Lambda-class T-4a shuttle descended upon the palace, folding its wings in as it touched down softly on one of the many vacant landing pads near the front. A mildly loud whirring noise emitted from the shuttle as the ramp lowered, making a quiet thud against the durasteel plating of the pad. A lone Zabrak walked down onto the landing pad before the ramp raised and the shuttle lifted off, opening its wings and rising into the dark night.

This Zabrak in particular was actually a semi-Knight of Ren, being a Disciple of the Beyond named Arthan Corvax. Arthan was wearing a dark black suit with a red vest and white undershirt complemented by a black tie, the whole ensemble matched his skin color mostly, except for the white undershirt. Even without his mask and robes Arthan wasn't unarmed, he had his lightsaber placed inside of one of the jacket pockets pressing comfortably against his chest.

Arthan made his way to the palace, passing many delegates from halfway across the galaxy mingling with others until they got to the ball themselves. When he entered he noticed that he was one of the only people that didn't bring a date, and that made him insecure for the first time in a couple of weeks, atleast being a Ren gave him an excuse to act like an anti-social grump. So he went over to the buffet and picked up a platter of food and sat in a corner, exerting a rather foul presence a few feet in front of him to deter others.

Force-users get lonely too.

 

[Sentiri]

Some were masters at appearing to be something they were not. Others could do nothing but be genuine.

Sentiri definitely belonged to the former group. Like a vine on the wall, she stood off to the side of the ball room looking comfortable in her skin and her dress uniform. But comfortable was far from how she truly felt about the situation. She had never been at ease in large social situations, or really any social situation. Even Chiss social gatherings, which were quiet affairs with more business than pleasure, offered nothing but irritation. Luckily, her time with her high-class family on Csaus and eventually on Csilla with the Sabosen meta-family awarded her with plenty of experience on how to bury that irritation and simply remain quiet, calm, and collected.

Not that she was ever particularly expressive to begin with. Sentiri often wondered if Humans, with their animated gestures and expressions, could ever tell if a Chiss felt one way or another. In a very short time among the other species, Sentiri had concluded: no.

Strategically positioned near an open breezeway to a balcony for an easy retreat if she required one, the woman's eyes scanned over the dance floor, seeing plenty of truly genuine people. Soldiers, officers, and government officials whose dance moves were more fearsome than any weapon the First Order could bring to bear. And yet they moved with such joy and enthusiasm for the sake of their partner or the event or simply moving that the dread-dancers seemed not to care about how ridiculous they looked to everyone else.

Sentiri did not envy them. Really, she did not feel one way or another about the whole subject. Uncomfortable though she may be at a ball, she was very comfortable with who she was. And if she had taken a cue from any social gatherings in the past, she knew that they were useful, if only for shaking hands and making oneself known. While she would much prefer her work in the line of duty to speak for her, sometimes a look in the right direction was all a superior required.

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

After stepping down from the podium and moving towards his shuttle car, Vaas was approached by a trooper in formal dress.

"Thank you, Trooper," Ludolf said to [member="Larry Cheswa"], and offered him a smile. He found it peculiar that the young soldier was carrying his field helmet with him while in formal dress, and even though that was probably a violation of dress protocol, Ludolf supposed that old habits died hard. He would let it slide for now. That was what this night was about, after all. Most of these men had seen quite a bit of action in the field.

"My evening looks to be progressing splendidly. I hope yours is as well. What is your name and rank, trooper?" The General said to the man.

Meanwhile, speeders were beginning to congregate around the palace. Lights were positioned to shine against the palace walls, illuminating every bit of the structure's ornate curvature and design, causing the palace to shine like a beacon of light that stood out from the rest of the dusky city. Men and women of the First Order as well as foreign visitors were beginning to arrive on the palace steps, and when they entered, they would find a finely decorated ballroom to be used for their pleasure.

With an open bar, of course.

 

[Eli-Mae Forrest]

As Echo entered the beautiful Palace she looked around though it didn't do anything for her being as she could not see but she could tell from the way her footsteps echoed it was a huge room. Compared to the other places Echo had been in it was like heaven to her. She had scraped up all of the money she could to buy a dress for this day. It was gorgeous it was blue with a silver sequined top. She would walk straight up to [member="Ludolf Vaas"], the man whom had offered her the chance to dance at this party. "Hello sir." She would say holding out a hand

X

 

[Froste]

Instead of Cole's typical dress of dark sith robes under light armor with a black cloak, the Sith Acolyte wore his military dress uniform. The uniform displayed his position in the One Sith military, and it was not something that Cole wore very often. Or ever. There were not very many circumstances where a dress uniform suited Cole, as he spent most of his time in the field fighting his enemy face to face.

Even leaving his mask behind, a small amount of darkside corruption painted the Lieutenant Colonel's face. Cole didn't let this faze him, as he was invited quite generously to this ball. He wasn't going to let his newfound deformity get in the way of his enjoyment.

Now, Cole stood in front of the palace with his arms crossed behind his back. He wasn't sure if anybody would have recognized him even with his mask, but without it he was almost positive nobody would know who he was. The Sith Acolyte began to make his way into the palace, ready to meet with his various allies.

 

[Larry Cheswa]

"I am Captain Larry Cheswa of the 11th Incinerator Squad. Tonight is a lovely night as well, iv'e been here with the First Order my entire life, and hopefully many more years as well. Well i'm heading for the buffet, those charbroiled steaks look fine for eating. Farewell!" I say as I walk away as I head for the buffet. About five minutes later I had a plate piled sky high with steak of several kinds, a glass of punch, and what looked like a bowl of soup while onlookers stared in disbelief as the skinny person I am chowed down on the mountain of food, suddenly my good friend Wec and his date spotted me, "Good lord Larry slow down, your going to kill yourself with the amount of food your eating!" I reply, "Wec I was on a starship for five days with nothing but bread and soup to get here after my mission, I am starving." And with that the mountain of food is gone. "Well Larry, at least you could win an eating contest."

[member="Tymon"] [member="Echo Kora"] [member="Ludolf Vaas"] [member="Sentiri"] [member="Arthan Corvax"] [member="Jia Zhu"] [member="Viktor Alexander"] [member="Amorella Mae"] [member="Cameron Centurion"] [member="Evangeline Ovmar"] [member="Niklaus Ovmar"] [member="Clovis Torcularis"] [member="Harley"]

 

[Icarus]

Let the festivities begin.

Icarus arrived "fashionably late" as he would call it. The shuttle brought both him and [member="Lt. Viper"] to the event awfully late. Icarus was dressed in his formal uniform, as he was told to.

Icarus entered the ballroom with Viper, smiling a big smile. "You better not get drunk again, my friend."

 

[Sieb Tevv]

Raph adjusted the collar of his dress treys. Too plain for his taste, nothing like back home. A Tapani would outshine these morose buffoons any day. Still, he did appreciate how the cut showed off his figure. Nothing quite like the uniform to get hearts beating, eh?

The young officer took a reassuring at his perfectly coiffed hair and practiced a rakish smile. Just the right hints of nobility within the mischief, nothing like the leers of the lower classes. Stroking his perfect chin, Raph smiled, showing pearly whites, before stepping out of the land speeder and into the adoring eye of the public.

No sooner had he entered the premises and approached the proverbial punch bowl than a gaggle of young debutantes approached him.

"Oh hello Mr. Tritum, my name is," something or other.

"Is it true you fought on Karfeddion?" Fought would be generous.

"Is that a light foil you're wearing? I hear you won five duels with it." Seven actually, but nobody counts the last one. Not that you should trouble your airy little heads with such figures.

"M'ladies," Raph bowed, kissed several hands, and excused himself as quickly as possible before they asked him to dance. No need to wear thin his new boots just yet.

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

As [member="Larry Cheswa"] departed, Ludolf turned to the young woman addressing him. She was not a hard sight to miss, being the only Miralukan in a sea of mostly humans.

"Good evening," General Vaas took [member="Echo Kora"]'s hand in his own larger one, and gave a slight bow. Presumably she could sense his movements, as that was how he believed the Miralukans' mental abilities operated. "General Vaas, a pleasure to meet you. You must be this evening's entertainment."

Ludolf was many things; stern, laconic, regimented to an extreme degree, and some might even say morose and humorless. Certain parts of his mental programming from his days as an Agent for the Sith Empire could not be overcome, after all. But he was also pragmatic, and he was not stupid. He knew the type of entertainment soldiers favored. Even though the First Order was a militaristic dictatorship, some elements of the human condition simply could not be overcome. Namely, man's penchant for crass and lewd entertainment. To this end, Ludolf had hired dancers, and miss Echo Kora had come highly recommended. He did not know much about her particular routine, but hoped that it would err on the side of tastefulness. Still, Ludolf was prepared to let his men have whatever show Echo decided to put on, as even the most strict of rules needed to be loosened periodically. If such hedonism was promoted constantly, it would be unhealthy to the social fabric, but in small doses, it provided morale to men who had fought hard. Ludolf accepted that.

And she was beautiful, he could not deny Echo Kora that grace.

"Your stage will be ready momentarily. May I offer you a refreshment? A Corellian brandy, perhaps? We've spared no expense for this evening," He said to Echo.

Meanwhile, more guests had filtered into the main hall of the palace, and the sheer mass of the event was becoming apparent.