Exodus - SSC Dominion of Tygara

[Vakarian]

Objective: 2, 3​

Location: Daer, Tygara (borders)
Allies: [member=Audren Sykes]
Enemies: Xioquo​

​

"... and Fear." he nodded to Audren in acknowledgement of the Sephi. Anticipation was ripe in the air, layered with Fear in the perfect mesh of uneasiness. It caused the hairs on his arms and neck to stand on end, but he would not show cowardice, not when these people needed him. There was no room for anymore cowardice in the galaxy, what it needed was Hope; and if he could give the galaxy that hope, then he would do so. A galaxy without hope was a dark place, even darker than the vast abyss of a starless sky.

He was no stranger to fear or doubt, they were constant emotions swirling in his mind, but his desire to help those who could not help themselves often overpowered those emotions. Of course they remained present in his every action, he doubted himself and his path everyday; What if he failed at his purpose?, What if he could not live up to the pedestal that he was placing himself on?

The Jedi, whether they approved of it or not, were the true source of hope in the hearts of the people. Governments provided stability and economic surety, but without its defenders, it was nothing more than a common idea - fluid and susceptible to the influence of the events around it. When he chose his path to join the Jedi, the defenders of Light and Hope, he chose to place himself on a pedestal. A pedestal that so many others before him had placed themselves on, and he had accepted the responsibilities that came with his choice. He could not fail those that came before him, those that had passed on and become a part of the Force; he wouldn't fail them.

He tightened his grip on the sword of the Valkyri, a new sense of strength flooding his limbs, a renewed sense of purpose. He would face what was to come, without fear or doubt, and he would accept the consequences of his choice. That was the way of the galaxy, there were no second chances, no do-overs. It was life, and every choice he made would have a consequence.

 

[Cora Passek]

Truthfully Cora wasn't quite sure yet, what to make of all the attention she'd been recieving. She managed a slight smile to the Priestess' words. "Indeed, the best we could have hoped for. It's not the solution we wanted, but it buys precious time in which to be able to evacuate more people."

Cora then smiled, "Thank you." She gave a nod, "As long as they go to the right people, not the people who can simply afford to buy their way off, that's all that matters to me. I truly appreciate your help in this."

[member="Tarissa Cadalthor"]

 

[Anya Venari]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Having presumably finished her chat with [member="Judah Dashiell"], the Queen was able to receive Siobhan’s call in her suite aboard the station.

“Siobhan, it’s good to see you’re alive and unhurt,” she said with a smile.
“I have news, better than I’d feared, worse than I’d wished. The Nova Cannon and the Barsen’Thor did it’s work well. The asteroid has been reduced by 75% in size. Unfortunately, that fragment is still on track. We’re intensifying out efforts to get people out of Santaissa, but it won’t be easy. It’s said that the impact will be close enough to at least devastate the city, if not make it in the crater. The reduction is mass though does ensure we will have more time to rescue people after the impact, though it will be much harder.”

“Indeed, we may have so many people rescued that we need to seek out a new location to potentially settle them. I was thinking Arkas might be suitable as it has a good climate, but also some other worlds in the Coalition territory might be appropriate as well.”

“How about you, did you have any trouble with the Xioquo?”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Anya Venari"]


There was a measure of relief on Siobhan's features when she heard the news from Kaeshana. It was not a miraculous fairy tale ending where everyone lived and got to ride into the sunset, but then she was not so idealistic to expect that. It was probably the best the elves could hope for.


"That's good news, dear. I'm happy for you. Firemane'll help of course with getting people out post-collision. Arkas may be a good choice to settle on. Good climate, plenty of islands, Firemane recently set up Freetown there. We can discuss it more in detail when Tegs is here. You'd need someone reliable to administrate Eldorai settlements there. Someone who won't make a mess of things with the locals or try to abuse them. Or declare herself queen the moment she's out of your sight." In Siobhan's opinion this ruled out most of the Eldorai peerage since they were, well, power-hungry, scheming bitches. Oh, and, yes, she included Tarissa in that category, despite sleeping with her occasionally. Besides, Firemane was active mining minerals on the planet.


"Regarding the Xioquo, we've taken their underground fortress. They had a kraken, but we killed it and found a captive Xioquo you really need to meet. Her name is Lia, she seems to have ran afoul of the usual power plays and was being kept prisoner...and it seems she's light side. Or at least as much as you can be in a society like that. She's agreed to cooperate with us and give us information."

 

[Anya Venari]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Anya nodded gravely. Her liberal tendencies and desire to modernise and advance her people was not popular with some of the rusted-on conservatives. The thought of giving Tarissa an independent fiefdom was something she could not even begin to imagine. Civil War would come of that within a year, she reckoned…probably after Tarissa had purged everyone she didn’t like…which was most people.

However, she was too tactful to say as much overtly. After all, the Eldorai were united behind one crown, one goddess, one cause…even if that was only ever a slogan.
“Of course, we can discuss it more when everyone returns here, however, I feel your ideas have good merit. Join me on the Skyport and bring your Light Side Xioquo…that will be an interesting meeting. I’ll see you soon.”

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Cora Passek"]


Verily, Cora would be getting plenty of attention in the future. After all, there must be balance in the universe. Besides, just look at her, she wore the face of an angel and her lovely blonde hair strongly resembled a halo. "I will make sure of that, dear. You've come such a long way. May the Goddess light your path," Eileithya said sweetly, hugging the human briefly. There was nothing romantic about her interest in Cora, but she was very fond of her.


Perhaps partly because she reminded her of her younger self. The fact that the woman was very pretty obviously helped as well. So she took Cora's hand and made her rounds. In order to avoid disruption, refugees who would receive a ticket were selected and then called out to get it privately. For the simple reason that she obviously wanted to avoid fights or arguments breaking out in the middle of the healing room.


It was not an easy decision to make, for it might very well mean choosing who lived and who died. But at least in this case it meant prioritising the poor, especially the orphans, instead of just giving the affluent and wealthy a guaranteed place they could buy anyway. Where possible, families should be given the chance to stay together. Fortunately the arrested Cennobite had not only been hoarding plenty of tickets, but even had a private cargo freighter and Eileithya had no problem with sending word to some minions to confiscate it. Two lay sisters would be given any tickets that remained and instructed to head to one of the emergency shelters the Church maintained to pass them on.


Meanwhile, the exodus would still be in full swing. Indeed, like a massive swarm of locusts, an armada of ships bearing refugees would be descending down upon Tygara. Thousands, nay millions of souls were being moved at this very moment, even as construction and fortification of new settlements was still ongoing. The conquest of the Xioquo fortress had been a strong blow to the drows, who were now being driven to the brink, but all the problems the Eldorai would face could not simply be solved by the sword. For now living space should suffice, but undoubtedly eventually they would hunger for more land.


Oh, and the planetary defence cannons still stationed in the now very rudimentary military bases, along with the heavy guns of the fleet, continued firing upon fragments of the asteroid that had broken off and were slowly plummeting towards the planet, working in conjunction with the Barsen'Thor. The fleet could not destroy or even seriously damage the massive rock, but it gave them something to shoot at!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Anya Venari"]


Siobhan certainly knew Tarissa well. Did she trust her? No. Truth be told, her initial attraction to Tarissa had largely been based on the fact that she looked like Adril, while the Eldorai aristocrat was intrigued by Siobhan because of her power. In other words, she would not want her ruling an independent fiefdom.


Regardless, she ended her conversation with Anya. "Ok. I'll be on the Skyport soon, dear. Give little Ariane a kiss from me," she said sweetly, then cut the connection. She really needed to spend some time with her goddaughter. Anyhow, she would make her way out of the caves and then board one of the ships with her posse in tow.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

His twin blades seemed to dance in his hands as he took position. His golden eyes glinted behind that mask. His concentration and active meditations were keeping his adrenaline from going out of control. High stress situations, such as the one he found himself in with the chaotic cave system and the gunfire, made life quite complicated without centering oneself!

He could only make out two targets from his current vantage point on the right hand side, as his gloved fingers tightened their grip on the hilts of his long-knives. "How many for each of us?" he asked, as he focused and wove the Force through his person, feeling the exhilaration of his senses and reflexes sharpening. He was ready. He would fight alongside his comrade, to ensure the safe retreat of the wounded, and the successful survival of himself and the padawan he stood along side. He'd nod, focusing on the task ahead of him. "We'll take them together. On your mark."

Once she gave the word, or the signal, he would go, the frenzy of battle awaiting him, and who knew what else!

 

[Anya Venari]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

And so not long after when Siobhan, Lia and Eyrecae came aboard the station they were shown into the Queen’s presence.
Anya, being a lot less formal than some of her court would like – and besides they were in an emergency – came forward to greet them.

“Siobhan, I’m so glad you’re not hurt!” she said, giving her friend a hug. Somewhere a courtier would make a face at this breach of protocol. “Show me your new find,” she said eagerly.

Lia was standing at the window in stunned silence. She was standing on a metal floor, looking down at….
“It’s amazing isn’t it?” Eyrecae said, coming up beside her. She’d removed her armour, but she was still imposing and a little frightening.
“That…where are we?”
“We’re in the sky. That little dot down there? That’s where we just were,” Eyrecae said, pointing to some islands. “And that’s your home,” she added, pointing at a snowy land.
“Not my home, not anymore,” Lia corrected her. She took a deep breath, gripping the metal railing. “It is not a fair war, that which my people wage. My people did not even think you could go into the sky, that it was a shell of darkness studded with gems. They were mistaken.”
“Don’t get too bent out of shape, Lia, everyone goes through that phase. You’re just lucky we don’t want to wipe you out.”
Lia offered her a wry look. “Yes…lucky…” she said with a sigh.

She turned though as the Queen and Siobhan approached. She could tell Anya was important, from her robes to her bodyguards to the way ‘The Destroyer’ was talking with her as an equal.
She offered a bow, it never hurt to be polite in this crazy universe she found herself in!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Anya Venari"]


Siobhan did not care much about what courtiers thought, though she liked it when they fawned over her. As a matter of fact, that was part of the job description for her 'attendants'. Ironically, she far more into pomp and circumstance than Anya. Regardless, she took 'her' Queen by the arm and led her to where Lia and Eyrecae were waiting. Apparently their drow friend was dealing with some culture shock and getting her old worldview shaken.


At least she'd have a lovely view of her home planet! Siobhan had likewise removed her imposing armour during the trip because it was bloody heavy and was now walking with a limp that was more evident than she would have liked. "There she is, dear," she spoke softly to Anya as they approached the Xioquo. "Lia, this is Star Queen Tirathana of the Eldorai. You could say she's the ruler of your people's distant cousins," she joked a bit lamle.y

 

[Anya Venari]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Anya looked at the Xioquo with a measured gaze, then smiled and bowed her head as well.
“I sense the Light in her,” she said to Siobhan. “It is most extraordinary.”

Turning back to Lia she used her translator to speak to her. “Greetings, Lia, welcome to my station. Siobhan has explained your story to me, and that you wish to help us. I wish it were not necessary, but I do not see any circumstances where your people will accept a treaty with us, will they?”
“My people do not admit defeat. We understand only strength, and have been secure in the Underealm forever. No enemy has ever successfully attacked our home, so we are overconfident.”
“Even after the defeats they have suffered?”
“The Council of Ten will never admit defeat. To do so would be to show weakness. They would rather have their home invaded than that. They will shift blame onto others and misdirect the truth until it is too late.”
Anya sighed. “Then we must defeat them. I want you to talk with my generals, Siobhan and her council. We will need all the details from you that you can give. For now though my aides will find you a room, Siobhan and I have matters to discuss.”
And show off the Princess of course!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Anya Venari"]


Once upon a time, Anya had been one of Sio's lovers. Then she had become queen and gotten married - to a manling of all things! And apparently had actually started to like him, though admittedly he seemed nice enough. Well, there was also the fact that the Queen having an affair with a human would not have gone down well.


Regardless, on with the actual plot. Siobhan gave Lia a nod. It was indeed sobering news that the Xioquo would fight on and die in a battle they could not win, but she would do what was needed. "We'll get to a full debriefing when you're ready. We also have some light sided healers and adepts who can help you adjust. Clean clothes and such have been prepared for you,. Eyrecae will show you around," she said warmly before turning away and leaving with Anya. Unconsciously she took the woman's hand as they departed for her suite.


"Bit early to judge her, but we do need someone to rule the Xioquo for us, even if only as a figurehead," she said quietly when they were out of earshot. " By the way, how's little Ariane? Can I see her?"

 

[Anya Venari]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
It did have to be mentioned that Anya was practically the last of her line, and so she had needed a male to marry unless she was planning to bud asexually!

Anya nodded as Siobhan spoke. “Yes, it’s worth considering. I want to have Eileithya talk with her. I sense the Light in her, but that does not make her automatically reliable. I am not sure what will happen when we move on the Xioquo city, but it could be very destructive. We need to keep our options open.”

“Of course you can see her. She should be awake by now!”
She led Siobhan into the nursery, past the two Angelii standing guard and inside. The nanny, a close companion of the Queen, bowed and gave them space. Little Ariane was sitting up on the floor and peered up curiously at her mummy and the new person. Already the little girl had adorably pointed ears and the start of dark hair, combined with the blue eyes of her mother.
“Isn’t she gorgeous?” Anya said, dropping down onto the padded floor with her daughter. “Ari, this is Auntie Siobhan. Wave!”
Ariane examined Siobhan seriously, then giggled and waved her hand vigorously.
“She started crawling the other day for the first time! She’ll be talking and running us off our feet soon!” Anya said proudly, giving Ariane a kiss.

 

[Audren Sykes]

Objective: 2, 3
Location: Daer, Tygara (borders)
Allies: The Silver Sanctum | [member="Coryn Raxis"]
Enemies: Xioquo
Post: [3/20]
Gear: Lightsaber | Light Blaster Pistol (light) | Vibroknife | Armored Vest

"...and Fear."

And fear, yes. That was the other element he'd been missing. The blend of emotions was a heady one where they were at, caught between the city and the assumed position of the snipers. At least they could be grateful that snipers were all there really were now. Back when the city was just being set up, there had been a number of kidnappings and up-close attacks. Or so he'd been told. After clearing the wilderness back away from outlying buildings and setting patrols, the kidnappings had stopped. Things still disappeared though, so maybe they were still getting in. Who knew. They needed to take care of the hear and now first, worry about possibilities later.

There.

He'd not stopped scanning for possible Xioquo. In this direction he sensed three beings, clearly thinking beings with heightened levels of tension. Not moving. The Sephi held up a compass to verify direction, then keyed the info in to the control center.

"Control, I've got three beings in the direction sent in. Moving to intercept, can you confirm?"

"Wait one moment. Drone says nothing's out in that direction for two klicks, go for it."

That there wasn't anything visible to the drone was key, it meant what Audren sensed was most likely camouflage-laden Xioquo. With a glance at Coryn, the Sephi went from standing still to a full sprint in near-silence. It was nice only having the armored vest, made moving light and simple. The terrain meant that he couldn't go in a straight line - not that he wanted to anyways, with at least one sniper in place - but he had a rough idea where he was heading. Several days ago there had been another sniper attack that claimed two lives. Others had found indications that they'd had a nest on the hill he was now heading towards. Once he got close he could home in with a bit more alacrity.

The going got a bit slower and a bit noisier once he reached the bottom of the hill and started up. If that scared them off so much the better, but he didn't think it would. Not three of them on a mission. Rather than his blaster or vibroknife, Audren had brought his lightsaber hilt to hand. Rumor had it they'd learned to respect the blade of light, and with it he wouldn't inadvertently kill. Let them think they escaped with just a couple burns, lucky for them. He still had the gun and blade if things really got dicey.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Anya Venari"]


Apparently Anya's writer needed a few lessons in basic biology. You see, reproduction did not require marriage! Strictly speaking all Anya needed was a manling to impregnate her. At least this was how things would work out in Sio's femnazi fantasy, where all manlings would be enslaved, serve menial labour and act as breeding stock. It was very ironic that Siobhan fit the stereotype of the femnazi Eldorai aristo far more than Anya did!


Regardless, once they arrived in the nursery Siobhan was completely mesmerised by the sight of little Ariane. The girl was just too adorable for words. Besides, those ears were adorable. Siobhan could not restrain herself from giggling when Ariane waved at her. "Oh, she's such a lovely little angel. She's got your eyes!" she said happily and likewise dropped down onto the padded floor, though she did so slowly since she did not want to risk unnerving the toddler.


"Hey, Ari, it's your Auntie Sio. Your Mum and I are very proud of you," she spoke fondly before reaching out to gently stroke the girl's ears and hair. It made Siobhan a bit sad that she would probably be dead or in a nursery by the time Ariane was an adult. Of course, there was the option of essence transfer and cloning...

 

[Anya Venari]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
This writer is fully aware that marriage is not required for pregnancy, but in the context of the still conservative Eldorai the concept of a sperm donor is not one which would fly. As would be made clear soon, Anya was still very traditional about such matters.

Ariane reached out and gently pulled on some of Siobhan’s firemane and giggled.
“She loves the colour red,” Anya said. “Whenever we get her a blanket which isn’t red or pink she doesn’t like it.”

“She’s a happy girl most of the time, smart too, of course!” Anya said proudly.

Anya hoisted up her daughter and stood. Little Ariane giggled and peered at the world from this new vantage.

“I wanted to discuss something with you actually. As you know my husband…well…he never came back after Netherworld. I have to assume he is dead.” She sighed sadly. “But, although I have Ariane, I cannot simply put all my hopes on one child. I am looking to remarry and hopefully have another daughter or too to continue my line in case something should happen. So much has happened so quickly in the galaxy that fifty years seems an eternity…when for us it used to be just the natural term of childhood. Naturally every surviving noble family is wanting to marry off their sons and such to me. You and Tegaea are my most trusted friends outside the Eldorai – if I were to give you information on the candidates could you give me your thoughts on them?”

This writer suspects that Siobhan would do a lot of denying applications!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Anya Venari"]


This writer concedes the validity of the point Anya's made. Alas for Siobhan, enslaving all manlings and using them as mere breeding stock and slaves was not feasible in traditional Eldorai society. It was a bit ironic that in this regard Sio's views were not far removed from those of the Xioquo.


"I approve. She has good taste!" Siobhan said cheerfully, happy to let little Ariane pull at her firemane. There was a slight wince when the tiny girl pulled too hard, but Siobhan let her be because she did not want to upset her. Instead she fondly strokes the girl's dark hair before Anya picked her up.


She turned to face Anya when she spoke. As has been said, Siobhan was rather biased, though mostly for sexist and selfish reasons. Never mind the fact that she regarded most Eldorai nobles as scheming vipers, but she recognised the necessity, as much as it annoyed her. "Ok. I understand," she got up and patted Anya on the shoulder. "We'll gladly help you, dear, though I must warn you that I may drive you a tad insane by denying lots of applications. I have very high standards for whoever wants to be the father of 'my' Anya's children," she joked, though her tone was fond.

 

[Anya Venari]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
“It was suggested to me that I don’t actually need to marry a male, that I could simply genetically test and artificially inseminate myself. I didn’t want that though, I want my children to have a mother and a father. The galaxy has changed, and whether you or I like it or not, equality of the genders is the rule, not the exception. Still, I want the right male to be my consort. I remember seeing a holonet show back when I was in exile like this where twenty men competed for the heart of one lady. I think she ended up going for the Falleen and there was a controversy about use of pheromones….”

Anya chuckled. “Anyway, I’ll have a list assembled and I’ve got several people giving me advice. I think that it will be rather amusing.”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Anya Venari"]


Siobhan made a face. She really did not like the idea of gender equality. Nor did she see a reason for why children needed a father. She was doing just fine raising Galina without one. Hell, for a long time Galina had only really had one mother because Tegaea could not be bothered to pay her any attention!


"Well, as long as you let me have my little kingdom where men aren't equal," she joked. Well, she was partly being serious. There were men on the Board of Control, but they were not important. "Anything other than absolute enactic succession is...unnatural." Siobhan had only a few ironclad views, but she rigidly stuck to those she had, such as this one.

 

[Anya Venari]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
"Whilst one of my long term goals is to make succession Enatic-Cognatic so that a male can succeed if there is no female, that will not be happening any time soon. My people have had enough shocks to the system.”

She adopted that smirk she got when she was in a trolling mood. “Besides, you surprise me, dear Siobhan. A ‘kingdom’ for you? How very progressive! Maybe you can be in my test bed scenario for equal rights?”

She laughed, and Ariane giggled too at the sound. “But seriously, I have in mind a position for you, dear. I want you to take control of the expedition to end the Xioquo threat, and then all of their former lands will be yours to administer, answering only to me on such matters. Of course, such a responsibility is not something a mere Countess could administer. Can I presume you would be interested in an advancement to say…Marquesa?”