Evacuation From Denon

[Faith Organa]

Location: Alderaan, Royal Palace New Aldera City

Ana had handed the short version of what was really happening on Denon. She was there was Denon came under the flag of the Republic it was there that she and Draco fought about his debts to former employers, and how he was shooting at her! Yes the Mandalorian had a job that put him in opposition at times to Faith's allegiances it was shortly after this that she had stepped down, she could no longer do her job as Intelligence Minister.

Course others had seen that coming once her mother had decided to leave the Republic anyhow. Faith just wasn't willing to accept it. But she was a small voice then. She was louder now.

There were two groups calling themselves the Republic those that followed Suravi and those that followed the new Republic. As far as she was concerned right now neither could be trusted to safeguard her people. "Let's send a ship, we need a diplomatic group. I want our people evacuated and brought home."

Faith sat back but continued to read the information, she would have to contact both sides in order to get the Alderaanians safely removed. That could be done when they were enroute, or ready to enter the system.

[member="Alexander Sannes"] | [member="Mensa Dak"] | [member="Rosa Gunn"] | [member="Nicolas Thorne"] | [member="John Ash"] | [member="Jasper Varanin"] | [member="Cambria Zadira"] | [member="Commander Firestorm"] | [member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Commander Firestorm]

The Unbroken picked up the escaping dropship on its scanners. Firestorm then redirected some of the Unbroken's batteries to cover the dropship's escape. From below the sky would look like it was on fire from the sheer volume of laser fire coming from either side of the battle. From orbit, orbital defense laser fire could be seen passing by both the Atlas and Unbroken's hulls while turbolasers fired down on the orbital defense guns. The Unbroken's point-defense lasers and small turbolasers continued to shoot down bombers and fighter that tried to swarm the ship.

 

[H3xle]

::LOCATION::​

::Denon::​

"Looks like you've been handling yourself, then?"

"I surprised them rather well, they were focused on cowing one they thought was weak..." He gestured to the mess in the street as he stood. "A mother can be quite dangerous when her child is threatened. We need to get to the north end of the spaceport, that is where our ships are departing from. I fear our enemy knows we are moving, and may have taken some of the planets defenses over, if they were smart." He said, looking to the north and east, where the people who had trusted him to get them from the tattered remains of the Republic were supposed to be boarding ships bound for the rim, and a new start.

"Nicolas. This is Macharius. The Prime Minister. The situation out there is probably worse than you think. You're not the ones attacking us though. So I hope to work with you to resolve this. Appears to be a group calling themselves the Suvari Loyalists are our enemies. I can't have anyone subverting the government now. I'm duty bound to protect my world, even from Republicans. If I can count on you son. Tell me where you are and we'll get working on ending the fighting."

"Prime Minister," Nicolas began, letting himself fall towards the middle of the group as he took yet another call on his comlink. He ignored the diminutive the planetary leader had used. "I am a little busy trying to get my people off of this planet. I am sorry that you are having to deal with Suravi's loyalists as well, but I am quite sure they will try to follow us off planet. If you have soldiers whose loyalty you are sure of, keep them close. I have a source on the inside that has told me that Suravi has worked people in to many levels of government across many planets. I am currently en route to the space port, my people should be finishing up loading transports, and I need to secure their way off planet." He replied, then kept the comlink in his hand, assuming the PM would wish to continue the conversation.

Spoiler

[member="cambria zadira"] [member="faith organa"] [member="jasper varanin"] [member="Alexander Sannes"] [member="Valkren Calderon"] [member="Chek Zun"] [member="Commander Firestorm"] [member="Macharius Solaire"] [member="Rosa Gunn"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Cambria Zadira"] [member="Commander Firestorm"]

The Silk Holdings low-volatility chaff/flare dispenser was an odd animal, but it made sense in its way. Standard countermeasures were vulnerable to cookoff and sympathetic detonation- the flare charges in particular. Rather than use normal charges, this machine sprayed ultra-low-power, ultra-short-range, ultra-low-velocity energy torpedo packets. Little blue flecks sprayed out the back of the dropship on Zadira's mark. Jasper watched through a porthole as the heat-seeking missiles went off-course. They wobbled, spun around each other, and slammed into the incorporeal flare packets with pyroclastic results.

Fire lanced through space around the dropship. Panic jolted him from throat to pelvic floor, but it was just covering fire from the ancient Venator in orbit.

"Ride the stripe," Jasper said. "The turbolaser barrage's wake. It'll hide us from sensors, keep these people off our tail."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Alderaan

"Mother." Laira called out, walking into the room deliberately, moving slowly as she eyed the art on the walls, avoiding making direct eye contact. She was wearing a green gown and gold tiara on her brow. Her eyes darted to Ana and to the guards in the room, common sights around the Palace, especially when the Royal Family was present. "Um, have you seen Father?" She asked, deciding against asking her mother for something. It was much easier to ask her father than her mother for whatever it was she was wanting or looking for permission to do.

Laira was back from the Collegium for Young Ladies for a week or so on holiday before she would have to return to the school to finish out the semester. Her mother and father visited her often while she was boarding at the finishing school. It was still her first semester there, so she had a ways to go, but Laira was already looking forward to being graduated. Until then, it was these small breaks and vacations when she got to come home and relax, play with her twin brother and go on adventures with him across Alderaan, and have nothing expected of her other than to just be a young girl.

"I was looking for him. I need his help with something." She didn't, he just had a much weaker will than her mother. Sad eyes and a little bit of a frown, being sure to leave off important details about what he was allowing, and he would crack most times. When he didn't it was either wholesale denial or involving Mother in some way.

[member="Faith Organa"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Soldier, rest! thy warfare o'er,
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking:
Dream of battled fields no more,
Days of danger, nights of waking.
In our isle's enchanted hall,
Hands unseen thy couch are strewing,
Fairy strains of music fall,
Every sense in slumber dewing.
Soldier, rest! thy warfare o'er,
Dream of fighting fields no more:
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
Morn of toil, nor night of waking...

-Sir Walter Scott
In siding with Grayson against the corrupt Galactic Alliance and the Mandalorians, Suravi had made a major gamble and had failed. She would have to deal with the consequences of her decisions for the rest of her days. She could live with that, as she had with all her mistakes. What she couldn't live with, however, were flakes that invoked her name for their agendas. "Loyalists" wishing to carve out their little fiefdom from old Republic space. Other splinter groups popping out of nowhere to wipe their hands of the whole business to make good with the Alliance and Clans. All these groups, all as quiet as temple mice when she had needed them the most against the Sith and Mandalorians.

None of these groups had anything to do with her or those few that still followed her, carving out of an existence within the Deep Core. Those that hadn't joined her, she had expected them to return back home, and get on with their lives. They had no reason to attack their own.

She took a break from her brooding and stargazing to issue a live message over the HOLONET to address to the current unrest on Denon, relayed through several nodes to avoid backtracing, the final node being through one of her private biocomm networks that no one had chance accessing. On camera, people would be able to see the Kiribian plainly dressed in plain black fatigues as she stood on an empty bridge, dark hard tied up in a simple bun. As she settled into her new life, she had abandoned the fine trappings of the former. However, her tawny eyes still glittered as bright as topaz. Finally becoming unhinged, she had been reinvigorated.

"This is Suravi Teigra, formerly Supreme Commander of the Republic Armed Forces. To all those who still claim to fight under the banner of the Republic, or as my 'loyalists', I ask you now to cease hostilities against your compatriots on Denon. We did not fight against savages just to be reduced to savages ourselves. If you feel the need to continue bearing arms, then there is a whole galaxy in need of your aid. Make no mistake, the Sith did not disappear when the One Sith and Triumvirate collapsed. They infest every corner of of the galaxy, from Voss to Dossum, still pulling the strings. For any to believe that my recent campaign was a result of some bout of madness, I'm afraid to say it was not. My enemy is, and will forever remain the Sith and their puppets, no matter if they decide to swath themselves in black cloaks, or shining armor. If you wish to continue the fight, then join me."

"For the rest of you, your fight is done. Lay down your weapons and return home. For many of you, that is Denon itself. Denon, Mimban, Gyndine, Torgoria, Deneba, Kashyyk, Alderaan, Korriban, Drommund Kaas, Roche, Voss, Ossus, and a host of other planets...remember the monsters (on all sides) who devastated the worlds and see that you do not follow down their path of destruction. Bendu knows that the Republic hasn't been perfect. People have been hurt by my mistakes and those of previous administrations. While we can't undo the past, we can right our future, starting now."

The transmission cut off just as soon as she spoke the last word. She returned to some more brooding time while she watched the effect her words had on ex-republic soldiers. Most confrontations had ceased as her speech began to filter through the grapevine, they considering her words. Those who heeded them pulled back to their strongholds on Denon, calling for a truce with the local government to figure things out. Some fence sitters surrendered directly to the Denon government, hoping that they wouldn't receive any serious repercussions by refraining from fighting. They had been stuck on Denon the whole time with no clear path out, ready for any excuse to hang up their Republic blues.

Recordings of her words would spread across the former words of the Republic, and then many personnel and officials would mirror the actions of those on Denon, either packing it up for a trip offworld or pledging their loyalty to local governments. At the end of the day, most just wanted to do the right thing and keep their systems safe from scum that still roamed the galaxy. The agents of chaos still reigned, and the fight was still not done.

((I could deal with people hijacking the GR for some kind of revival when none of you could be bothered to help when I asked before. No problem, good luck. But please keep my name out of your project if I don't have any involvement in your storylines. Since the recent Atrisian rebellion, I have established that all forces loyal to me now reside in the Deep Core. Now all forces claiming to be loyal to me outside of the Deep Core will also cease hostilities. If they keep fighting, it's not under my instructions. Stop hitting yourselves and go actually do something against the Sith.))

[member="Nicolas Thorne"]

 

[Faith Organa]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


Laira had entered the room looking like a Princess of Alderaan green suited her, and the gold tiara went well with it. Faith looked at her watching her move towards her without really looking.

"He's headed off to take care of Clan Vereen, will be back tonight." Faith wasn't sure what her daughter wanted with her father but it wasn't uncommon for her to look for him or seek his advice. Faith smiled, especially when her own would not be what Laira wanted to hear. "Something I can help you with dear?" Her sweetest motherly voice.

Ana motioned, Faith nodded, yes they needed to send the ship, "Tell them to prep everything." She would go there after her citizens, but her daughter at this moment came first.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Laira turned to face her mother, offering her a sweet smile in the attempt to appear innocent. "Oh, I was going to ask him if I could attend that Alde girl's party tomorrow night. All the other girls keep going on about it." She was doing her level best to act like she wasn't interested in going.

Children could be quite ruthless, and though she was the princess, that didn't make her exempt from the cruelties of cliques of young girls. Her and Theo had been inseparable for years, and he wasn't as welcome as she had been in those circles being a boy of course. In the past she had always stuck with her twin, but it was leaving her with fewer friends among the girls her age group. Part of her wanted to ignore them, part of her wanted to be accepted by those girls, part of her wanted the tables turned.

"Where are you going?" She asked, scooting up beside her mother, straightening out her dress as she sat down in the chair nearest Faith. "Everyone seems in such a hurry and rush all of a sudden." She was observant enough to see that things were starting to happen around her, that the royal guard was moving around more than usual.

[member="Faith Organa"]

 

[Cambria Zadira]

Denon Airspace
Aboard GR dropship known as Valkyrie One
w/[member="Jasper Varanin"]
trying to stay alive and escape

"Ride the stripe," Jasper said. "The turbolaser barrage's wake. It'll hide us from sensors, keep these people off our tail."

Why didn't she think of that? Maybe because the Jedi Ace was thinking way too much within the box and just reacting to what was put forth to challenge her flying skills and ability with the Force in this regard.

"An excellent suggestion, Mr. Varanin," Cambria replied. After another few tense seconds of evasive maneuvers she added. "Here we go... "

It seemed as if the Force agreed just as another volley of turbolaser fire came from the big guns of the nearest capital ship. The Twi'lek Jedi piloted the dropship carefully along a brilliant energied path that was just left by a recent partial beam burst as it sped through space. The key was to ride the stripe close enough to give the cover they needed to advance towards to their exit vector, but not get caught in another turbolaser blast in the process.

Fortunately the thoughtful action not only gave Valkyrie One a moments reprieve from the constant pursuit, but the fools that immediately tried to stick to them had paid the price getting vaped by crossfire. If they could just get past the space battle in and around the Unbroken and Atlas, then Cambria could prepare to make the jump to light speed and onward to the rendezvous point for those escaping the Loyalists and the currently developing ill-will political situation on Denon.

It was a hope that all would follow them out alive and well.

 

[Commander Firestorm]

Firestorm sent a message through the force, "May the Force be with you," to [member="Cambria Zadira"] when he sensed the jedi on the dropship. He then returned his focus to the battle and targeted the last orbital defense gun firing on the Unbroken and destroyed it. The Unbroken's secondary batteries continued to fire upon the incoming waves of fighters and bombers as they approached.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Cambria Zadira"]

The Valkyrie dropship rocked and slewed with near misses and the Jedi pilot's every twitch. Jasper jolted in his bucket seat, hanging onto the nearest strap of drop harness with his other hand wedged in a hatch. "Nice execution, lady," he said in a same-to-you kind of way. "Stang but you can make this bucket dance."

He meant it, too. He'd made this ship, or at least he'd come up with the modification schema for all the ships like it, but he'd never been a passenger for a genuine Jedi ace. Not an experience he wanted to repeat anytime soon -- those near misses could get real near sometimes -- but it was gonna make a heck of a memory. He glanced down the dropship's centerline at the blue headtails bobbing away on either side of the headrest. Out of his league, but dang, a man could dream. Competence was downright hot sometimes.

"I've got the hyperdrive warmed up for the jump." A murmur of relief and excitement ran through the tense refugees packed in behind him. "You just get us in position and we're good to go."

 

[Rosa Gunn]

The control tower stood above the east side of the refugee camp, a centre for all the stations of support in and around the camp. Put together to better coordinate assistance and maintain peace within the camp. After all, desperate people turned to desperate measures. There were more than a few Jedi in the camp, healers mostly but it wasn't necessary for Rosa to alert them if she could draw their attention.

Her lightsaber remained attached to her belt, untouched as she approached the base of the tower. Three men and two women lay sprawled in the dirt, entry wounds to the back, though one looked like he tried to put up a fight. Their killers snapped out of their idol on her approach, raising their weapons.

"Halt!"

Rosa did not halt, she reached out in the force seizing hold of their minds. Sleep. The command was simple, but powerful as their eyes rolled into the back of their heads and they hit the deck. She took the steps up the outside of the tower two at a time, charging her body with tutaminis as she did. She paused outside the door, smiling at the guard on duty. "May i? I'm expected." He hesitated for a moment, clearly suspicious but unable to find reason to doubt. His eyes flicked to her belt where her lightsaber hung and his fingers shifted on his rifle, but Rosa reacted faster, wrenching the door open with the force and slamming it into his side. She suggested forcefully he also take a nap, grateful that when he did, he did not topple over the rails.

She turned her attention to the men inside. "You ordered a Jedi, did you not?" she expressed to their bewildered expressions. She stepped into the room. Consoles lined the walls with most at their stations under gunpoint. A woman was sobbing quietly in the corner as she worked, eyes flicking to the young man laying face down in a pool of his own blood. She counted six opponents, four hostages and one security camera hanging in the middle of the ceiling, boasting a clear three-sixty view.

Four of the six guns levelled at her. "To whom do you swear loyalty?"

Rosa pursed her lips in thought. It was a good philosophical question. Who did she swear loyalty to? Her family, her friends for sure but there was no real name of power. She was loyal to neither the Republic nor the Jedi, but then, she'd been out of it all for a very long time. Fighting her own battles...perhaps it was time to defend someone else.

"No idea. You?" she replied finally. The honest answer seemed to catch the spokesman off guard and he gaped like a fish for a moment before regaining control of his senses. "I am loyal to Survai! The one true ruler. If you do not swear loyalty, I will be forced to take action."

Rosa's head tilted to the right, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. He was uncertain and she played on it, weaving through his and his comrades mind. "Why? I thought the Republic was a democracy, not a dictatorship. Why should i swear fealty to a lie?" Another stutter, but this time he did not gather any rational response, he simply opened fire and his comrades followed suit. The first volley of shots hit home, searing holes in the fabris of her shirt, but the skin underneath simply glowed. She released the energy in a jump that took her over their heads in a flash.

She brought the hilt of her lightsaber down hard on the spokesman's head, dropping him like a sack of stones to the floor. They stopped firing, blinking again in surprise."You have a choice, lay down your weapons and leave on your own two feet while you still can, or stay and see how many other ways I can make you take a nap."

There was a moment of thought, where the battle between flight and fright is at its strongest, but with an open door of survival, flight would always win. She only relaxed when they had finished scrambling out the door. She approached the sobbing woman, who's heart wrenching cries had intensified upon their leaving. Rosa lay a hand on her head and smiled. She wasn't injured, just in shock, a colleugue moved in to comfort her and Rosa stood.

"Can any of you give me a short version. Who's in charge of where and what?"

"Th-Th-Thorne." the sobbing woman gave a name, trying to regain control of herself she spoke again. "H-He's been or-organising the evac-c-uation. I-I've been helping get the w-word out." Rosa nodded her thanks and smiled, encouraging her to continue. "He's a jedi. Nicholas Thorne."

"You got a contact for him?" the woman nodded. "See if you cant get him on the line for me. Anyone offer anything else? The agressor? The presidents stance?"

Presidents declared martial law and warned residents to stay indoors. The 'Loyalists' appear to be answering to a Commander....I don't know his name." The boy who answer her was in his late teens yet he was utterly calm, as if this was something he was completely used to. Some people thrived under pressure. "What about the other units? Any other compromises?"

"We'll do a check in and find out."

Rosa nodded. "If you do find any, report them to the Denon officials, don't engage them yourselves you're not equipped to. Understood?" the nodded. "How about Thorne?" the woman shook her head in response, no luck getting hold of him. "Keep trying, when you do get through give him-" she scrambled for a peice of paper and a pen "-give him this frequency. I'm going to head for the spaceport.

"It's in lockdown, anyone trying to leave is being shot out of the sky."

Rosa nodded. "Thanks for the heads up."

She swept out of the door and took a gentle run towards the spaceport.


[member="Nicolas Thorne"] [member="John Ash"]

 

[Faith Organa]

[member="Laira Vereen"]

"Considering the close ties of House Organa with House Alde, and that Cousin Claire may end up marrying [member="Trevor Alde"] I see no reason why you can't go." Didn't expect that Faith thought did you little one. Faith was putting away some correspondence and making decisions regarding the palace as she talked with Laira.

"There are Alderaanians stranded on Denon and we need to go get them." She didn't bother with the details about two groups beginning to war over the name and face of the organization called the Galatic Republic. Not that Laira wouldn't understand but that Faith didn't want her to fret over it.

Faith stopped everything she was doing to look at Laira, all that red hair where did she get it? She has that angry pout that I have, but those moments where she is dark and gloomy that is so much of Draco it isn't funny.

 

[Chek Zun]

For what was only a few minutes of fighting it seemed like hours to one such as Chek who wasn't a fighter at all. In truth his entire life was completely dictated by the security of his battledroids. B-1s, in the past they had a reputation for being flimsy and easy to break, as well as having some more eccentric programming. Still they could get the job done, and with a little tweaking of the programming, some modifications to their structure and metal plating, and the right equipment could be turned into versatile bodyguards like they were then.

The smoke from the droids grenade continued to flow until the area between the combatants was completely enclosed in a thick black cloud. Again for one like Chek this was a hard thing to see through and the loyalists on the other side as well, without any additional goggles or headgear, they were left shooting blind. A droid on the other hand had whatever vision their optical lenses were programmed to see with and designed to see with. This included visions such as infrared, which looked for heat signatures rather than visible light. Something Chek's bodyguards had access too.

Once the smoke was out and the droids switched on their infrared, the battle changed completely. Republic loyalist bolts ripped through the air blindly but the droids pointed their own weapons through the smoke targeting the two loyalists and with two quick shots they were down, not before though one left off a blind shot that ripped through the smacking straight into one of the droid's arms. A notable weak spot for the B-1 Causing to fly right off. But by that point the skirmish was won and the other B-1 lowered its weapon. "Sir hostilities have been dealt with, with minimal injuries," Said the fully intact B-1, as Chek moved from his cover. "Very good let's get the citizens and head to the evacuation transports," Chek said as he moved through the smoke. Meanwhile his damaged B-1 found its lost arm and hopelessly tried to reattach it with no avail instead just carrying it along.

Once he was led close to the civilians Chek spoke out, "I have transports at the spaceport, let us move quick." Chek could hear more conflict all around but he eventually reached the spaceport, without too much more hassle as the civilians boarded the transport ships. He looked over at his B-1 still trying to push its broken arm at the broken socket. "Would you stop that is clearly not going to work!" the Gossam said shaking his head. "Roger-roger," The droid responded in a very sad sounding b-1 voice.

 

[Valkren Calderon]

His team held it's perimeter around himself and [member="Nicolas Thorne"] as Valkren looked back to the Jedi that was currently leading the operation.

"If that's the case, then I'd advise we meet up with both Dagger and Viper teams' at the exfil' point. I mean yesterday, Sir." The Sergeant would say this as he moved his gaze further down the street from the alleyway him and his men were currently encased around, a group of atleast a dozen loyalists who had not seemed to heed' the orders of Survai, and had planned to pick up where their unsuccessful brothers had left off with Nicolas.

A sudden flash of red kicked up concrete and sparks from the edge of the facility that created the alleyway they were currently half-in and half-out of, cause the group to turn their attention to the twelve opposition soldiers.

"Contact front!" O'Connor bellowed out, pulling up his rotary cannon from his previous position on their six and moving it to a piece of rubble-like cover inbetween the two groups. The rest of Saber team following suit as they readjusted their positions, attempting to gain a better ground against the higher number of assailants that were now moving down the street with haste, jumping from cover to cover.

Watson took a deep breath soon after falling flat onto his back behind more low-rubble. Due to the lack of cover in the open and being suddenly caught with their pants down, they seemed to be in a dicey situation here.

Yet, that's what they were made for. The operator rolled himself onto his stomach and out of cover after this breath, freely moving his left arm up to provide a stable 'stand,' if you will, for the barrel of his weapon. He'd let two rounds go, the first hitting a piece of cover directly behind an advancing loyalist. None of the commandos in the team would have considered that a miss though, he was simply getting his range without the use of the usual tools and instruments they'd have with their full helmets and visors, which they didn't have this time around.

The second shot found it's mark, the body suddenly going lifeless and limp as the slain combatant crumpled into the street, this causing for a sudden pause in advancement from some of the hostiles.

They had gone into Shock at the sight of their fallen comrade...These weren't the best of the loyalists yet..The elites must have yet to come.

Valkren began to issue orders as him, O'Riley, Michaels, and Young all found their cover in the alleyway, opposed from Watson and O'Connor who were now stuck somewhat in the open, attempting to prevent the movements of their enemies any further.

"Michaels, get some smoke and a thermal detonator out there! Young, get into contact with the Atlas and find out the status of Dagger and Viper teams! O'Riley, you know the drill;"

"Get evil?" O'Riley smiled behind his balaclava as he adjusted his crouched position to a more readied position.

"You're damn straight, move it sabers!"

After a multitude of agreements and confirmation with the orders, they went about their duties. Michaels moved further down the alleyway to assure his saftey as he rigged together a smoke-and-thermal detonator with the use of his human hand, and his mechanical prosthetic. Young stayed in cover aswell, reaching to his kit that rested on his back to extend a rather large primitive-type of antenna for long-range communication purposes.

"Sir, we need to get you to the ships..Finish off the evacuation with you at the head of it! It'll give the rest of these civilians a boost of hope to get their asses out of here!" The sergeant turned to the Jedi as O'Riley jumped into the open, moving into a crouched position next to O'Connor's dug into position, providing the enemy with more of a challenge to advance on.

Valkren ducked for a moment as a bolt slammed into the wall behind them, "Once the smoke fills we can cut straight across! Start moving to our destination. You can lead the way! Don't worry if we don't catch up either-" the sergeant spoke as he primed his own weapon once more.

Michaels made his way past the two as he tossed the detonator into the open with one canon-of-an-arm..It was a mechanical arm afterall.

"This is the sithspit we're meant for!" He'd state, grinning and laughing somewhat before pulling himself out of cover and letting a quick three-round burst escape his rifle, resulting in the death of another hostile. The detonator soon went off, the smoke pillowing up in the middle of the street as the two groups of combatants exchanged rounds between each other. Valkren crouched down, his team forming a sort of line across the street so any civilians could cross without being the main targets of the enemy. A round suddenly kicked up concrete and dust directly infront of Calderon, causing him to shift back into cover only momentarily.

Those brief moments, were the only moments that caused his adrenaline to suffer and for his thoughts to imedietly go to his family on Alderaan.

[member="Faith Organa"] | [member="Chek Zun"] | [member="Commander Firestorm"] | [member="Nicolas Thorne"] | [member="Rosa Gunn"] | [member="Jasper Varanin"] | [member="Cambria Zadira"]

 

[H3xle]

The Force allowed one to do many things. Truly, ones ability with the Force was only hindered by ones imagination. Still, when one could choose to not abuse their connection to the Force, it was better to do so. Becoming too dependent on it led to bad situations in a situation where you couldn't use it.

As fire came down on them, Nicolas found cover with the rest of Saber team. His reactions were just as practiced as the soldiers, though he didn't return fire. He was not operating with a blaster at the moment. He waited a moment for Saber team and the Loyalists to find mental grooves firing at one another, then lit Everthorn and stepped into the open. At once, he found his center and sank deeply into the force. He wasn't going to do anything overtly fancy like stopping the blaster bolts, but he was going to do the standard Jedi thing of deflecting bolts. His saber was a blur of green, dancing between bolts that came within his measure and either reflecting them back upon the Loyalist forces, or deflecting them into the street, well clear of any person.

"Use me as cover to out maneuver them!" Nicolas shouted at [member="Valkren Calderon"], not letting his focus on the blaster bolts slip for more than a moment. His commlink began to buzz on his belt, but at the moment he couldn't take the call.

He stepped steadily towards the loyalist troopers, pressing forward to clear a bigger area behind him as cover. He knew that he'd tire after a while, and he didn't want to overtap his resources in the Force. He was left with one alternative to continue covering his front and offering cover to the soldiers with him. He reached back with his left hand and grasped Winter, the lightsaber of his late friend Dair Cotarin. The saber hilt was cold to the touch, reminding Nicolas of Dair's affinity for wintry things. A moment later, a snap-hiss was heard, and the aura of blissful coolness surrounded Nicolas. The ice blue blade of Winter quickly became a blur as it worked in tandem with Everthorn, and Nicolas continued to push forward, his sabers clearing the path. One would have to look very closely to see the single tear welling in Nicolas's eye. It was a tear of sadness, as well as hope.




[member="Faith Organa"] | [member="Chek Zun"] | [member="Commander Firestorm"] | [member="Rosa Gunn"] | [member="Jasper Varanin"] | [member="Cambria Zadira"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Oh, I didn't know Aunt Claire was engaged." That was news to the young princess, but she had lots of extended family members in some position of authority or influence in House Organa. Laira had trouble keeping up with them all on occasion, but not every child kept up with the happenings of their family. "I suppose I could pack some things and find something to wear on such short notice." Being part Mandalorian, Laira had no trouble asserting dominance over her peers physically. But it was for that reason she often felt excluded from the other nobility's children. Theo had the benefit of being a boy, where such behavior was more accepted, even praised or respected by the other children. Laira was a girl and that was beyond the norm for her to be that way. They weren't the same and children could be so cruel.

Laira had stopped wearing boots after they had ridiculed her for it at the Collegium and taken to wearing nicer shoes that weren't as comfortable to wear. She still looked longingly at her comfortable work boots in her room every morning, but they just didn't match the dresses she wore to fit in either. One day she wouldn't mind what those girls said, and she would wear whatever she wanted to wherever she wanted to.

"Denon. Are you going to be going without Buir?" It wasn't like her parents to run off without each other. Her father was quite protective over the family, and rarely did he leave the planet, much less leave her mother to go off world alone. "That's not like him. Is everything okay?"

[member="Faith Organa"]

 

[Faith Organa]

[member="Laira Vereen"]

"Laira I have often done things that society and your father had not agreed with. Like when I attended dance classes, I always more my boots. Who are they to tell me what shoes are comfortable, and the other girls they would say things, but it was jealousy because they couldn't wear their comfortable shoes. In our position while we must listen to others, and often meet the middle ground there are times its more the acceptable to exert your own thoughts. It's knowing when that's the key"

Faith sent a message to make sure the ship was ready, and she was ready to go, "Cousin Claire is not yet engaged but House Alde has a son that Claire has spent time with, is agreeable with, and would bring a marriage of alliance. Even though right now they are a weaker house."

"Yes I'm going without Buir" Faith had gotten lost and forgotten to answer the question. "Yes everything is fine. Your father understands that there are times I must do things. He's off with Clan Vereen right now, and its not like I plan on starting a war, I'm just rescuing citizens. Course if a few insurgents get in the way, well, we'll deal with that."

For a moment Faith thought to just go, but now..this was another opportunity, Faith studied Laira again, "Want to go?"

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"I know mom. Its just I'm supposed to be a princess, princesses look a certain way in public." She didn't know how many times she'd been told she didn't look like a princess which always bit deep for some reason. There was a time and place for functional clothes as she was told, and a time for clothes meant to be worn in public. "It doesn't help that the Alde girl calls me a tomboy." Laira was a little vain. She was a princess after all, and having that identity denounced and told she didn't seem like much of a girl was hurtful for the young princess.

Her father left sometimes, not always, not often. But sometimes he went to the enclave and spent the day there. He was rarely gone the night though. Then her mother asked her if she wanted to go. "Yes!" She replied eagerly, a little more excitement than the little girl had really intended. "I mean, yes. Hopefully we can be back before the party tomorrow night." If not, then that was fine. She had a feeling she was invited more by the girl's parents than by the Alde girl herself anyway. They had a way of trying to curry favor with the Royal Family by including their children that Laira was oblivious to. She could recognize that she wasn't the most welcome guest, but she had no idea why the parents would invite someone their child didn't get a long well with.

"When do we leave?" She'd have to pack something or have something packed, but for a child her age it didn't take long to prepare for a trip.

[member="Faith Organa"]

 

[Faith Organa]

"Yes some houses do things to just stay on the radar of the family. But we often figure that out quickly it is all a game Laira and in the end of the game the reality is you are a Princess of Alderaan and they all want to be you." The Alde girl was teasing Laira, that didn't seem right Claire always talked about how wonderful they all were. Maybe this was a different Alde girl and Faith was confused. How many Alde's were there now?

If Faith knew that her daughter was being teased without mercy at school she would have the headmistress on the com now, no better yet she would be in her office and reading her the riot act. But even that would make things worse so, she'd have to give Laira support and advice on how to deal with them.

"Tomboy huh I'm afraid that name you will have to learn to endure, or find a way to make it your own. Maybe learning to ride a thranta to school would earn you the title rightly. For certainly the nobles daughters do not ride because well they can't wear dresses to do it." Faith was thinking diplomatic thinking. The girls at dance had called her tomboy but Faith didn't care least not then and she wasn't princess Faith either.

"OH we leave now, go grab a change of clothing pants and shirt, boots and meet us on the flight platform."

[member="Laira Vereen"]