Sovereign Echoes
Character
The air above Seoul shimmered with color.
From the promenades of the Gwanheung Cultural Plaza to the highest balconies of the towers illuminating the night in an array of colors and spotlights reached through to the heavens, every eye tilted skyward as the last of the daylight faded into velvet night. A hush rippled through the crowds millions strong, packed shoulder-to-shoulder along the shining avenues and riverbanks, until the only sounds were the soft flutter of festival banners and the distant hum of repulsorlift barges hovering in precise formation.
Then, as if the stars themselves had taken a collective breath, the lights came alive.
A sweep of silver fire cut across the firmament, followed by a cascade of floating light petals, programmable drones, each glowing with a different hue—drifting down through the night air in spiraling arcs. They gathered above the main stage, weaving together into a three-dimensional tapestry: the Commonwealth sigil, rendered in living light, then blooming into a field of golden chrysanthemums that slowly turned to face the crowd.
From the stage, a gayageum sang the first delicate notes of Arirang. The sound was raw and unamplified at first, carried on the open air like something ancient and fragile. Then the plaza's sound lattice caught it, folded it with harmonics from a hundred instruments, janggu drums, haegeum strings, even the soft call of a synthesized daegeum, until the song swelled into a tide that seemed to wrap itself around the city's towers.
Holo-casters drifted through the air, their projectors spinning elaborate illusions across the night: tigers leaping from one high-rise to another in glowing trails of stardust, magpies sweeping overhead in flocks that broke apart into constellations. Children reached upward to "catch" the drifting images, their laughter weaving into the music.
Above, the Commonwealth, ceremonial squadron broke atmosphere in a slow, elegant flyover, their running lights synchronized to the beat of the drums. They left no sonic booms—only luminous contrails that curled into the shapes of cranes before dissolving into the evening haze.
And while every Holonet channel flooded with this spectacle, broadcasting every note, every shimmer, every smiling face, another world in the Commonwealth turned its gaze inward. As the instruments played to a quiet reverance..
The stage opens in darkness under Seoul's night sky. A lone virtuoso plucks the gayageum with shimmering precision, its melodies carried across the plaza through the crystalline night air. Slowly, the holographic terrain unfolds: rolling lunar hills, glistening star-cherry blossoms, and faint silhouettes of ancient ancestral peaks—each forming a spiritual bridge between tradition and the stars. Then, as if summoned by the notes, military drummers and piri wind instrumentalists join, weaving a richer soundscape. A soft pulse—like a heartbeat—begins echoing from speakers around the arena.
At the beat drop, the stage bursts into kinetic life. Seoularian Pop Idols dressed in dazzling hanbok fusion costumes emerge, each movement choreographed like constellations aligning. They are joined via holo as large screens lit up around the plaza, by various ensembles who are performing throughout the Commonwealth on various member worlds such as Dosuun, Najarka, Varada V, Dyspeth, Needan, et al. Across the Commonwealth everyone sang in their best Seoularian dancing right along side each other. Right in the plaza the energy is incredible, as various Seoularian Pop Idols join the main group on the stage singing the upbeat variant of Arirang.
Meanwhile on Ryoone, the clang of dismantled durasteel and the crack of shattering marble echoed in the absence of music. There, the night was lit not by festival lanterns but by the cold glare of work lights as Sith banners were pulled down and fed into industrial shredders.
Objective 1 | Objective 2 |
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A Commonwealth-spanning cultural celebration featuring S-Pop legends and rising stars. Opening Ceremony: The Queen of Seoul, Her Majesty Kim Areum and Grand Vizier Ivalyn Yvarro take the stage together in a rare joint appearance. Feature Event: Arirang Across the Stars, live-linked performance across multiple Commonwealth worlds. Holonet commentators note Ivalyn's deep ties to Seoul, once her home as a journalist. Crowd energy is high, sponsor pavilions overflow with Commonwealth soda companies Solara and Nova-Fizz branding. Midway through the night, breaking holonet news: Task Force Valiant returns from the Stygian Caldera. | While the holonet is consumed by festival coverage, Commonwealth forces quietly execute Operation Orange Colored Sky. Objective: Eradicate all traces of Sith ideology and propaganda — art, temples, literature, and political footholds. Method: Lock down local holonet channels, saturate with Seoulight Spectrum broadcasts. Remove and destroy Sith iconography; seize archives and artifacts. Install Commonwealth-approved cultural works and civic structures in their place. Detain or reassign Sith-aligned officials and community leaders. This is not a public event — it's surgical, quiet, but total. |
Hooks for Writers: Be a festival-goer soaking in the music, food, and spectacle. Perform on stage as part of the festival lineup. Work security or logistics for the event. Be part of the holonet broadcast team. React to the sudden Task Force Valiant homecoming. | Hook for Writers: Be part of the Commonwealth forces carrying out the purge. Play local resistance or a collaborator caught in the sweep. Smuggle valuable Sith relics off-world before they're destroyed. Work as a cultural officer overseeing the replacement of public art and monuments. Handle political clean-up or intel gathering. |
Objectives are happening at the same time.
Feel free to interconnect — e.g., characters in Objective 2 could be watching festival coverage as background to their mission.
Tone: Objective 1 is public and bright but can shift to poignant; Objective 2 is covert, tense, and methodical.
Below is a reference to the upbeat-pop version of Arirang being performed by a 'Commonwealth' equivalent of BTS.
We welcome our friends in the Holy Worlds + Sith Allies of the Commonwealth to join us in celebration of Seoularian Pop Music!
Tags:
Davorin Orsava
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Domar
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Kurayami Bloodborn
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Merryn Sellek
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