Igni Irae
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Codify a location established in rp.
Image Credit: Here.
Canon: N/A.
Permissions: N/A.
Links: Royal Assent, Not the heiress the queen wanted...but the one she got, Spinning the Phoenix, Qadiri Sepoys, Vashyada, Qadiri, Witches of Dathomir, Order of Fire Hospitallers, Royal, Fellowship of Generational Health and Resilience, Xioquo, Siobhan, Dahomey, Darth Soteria, Tygara, Varisanthra Lycaeni.
SETTING INFORMATION
Structure Name: House of the Brave.
Classification: Veterans' Hospital and Retirement Home.
Location: Arx Aeternae.
Affiliation: Elpsis, House Kerrigan. Firemane (indirectly).
Accessibility: The House of the Brave is located on the Arx, a ginormous space station that serves as a hub for many Firemane's operations. As such it is located in a vast city complex, which means it is not secret at all. Moreover, it is supposed to house disabled or elderly veterans, so being secret would be counterintuitive. Upon arriving on the Arx, it can easily be reached via the network of rapid transit trains that connect the various arms of the station. Visitors to the House will be vetted at the security station to ensure only authorised people enter. While not owned by Firemane, the House is indirectly associated with it, so individuals hostile to Firemane are not granted access.
Description: Veterans' care is a complex topic. Soldiers put their life on the line to defend their nation, enduring grave hardship to protect their fellow citizens. However, the services rendered by them are not always acknowledged accordingly. As long as they are in uniform, they may be celebrated, given medals and appear in propaganda broadcasts of dubious accuracy. Politicians are keen to empathise their solidarity with the men and women in uniform. But what comes after they have transitioned out of military service or been discharged is less frequently discussed. The 'hero in uniform' may have been maimed or traumatised by what they saw and endured. This affects not only themselves, but their families. Some may even end up homeless because the government they served has failed in its duty to provide for them.
The House of the Brave is supposed to make a contribution to veterans' care in Firemane's sphere of influence. The hospital has been sponsored by Elpsis Kerrigan, a lieutenant in Firemane's armed forces and the interim head of House Kerrigan. Elpsis' own relationship to Firemane and her family is deeply cynical. She has rejected both her adoptive mothers as either greedy and vapid or power-hungry and despotic. Still, she has reluctantly decided to use her family name for a cause she considers important. Not everyone has a rich family that can afford expensive cybernetic replacements when their daughter loses a limb, after all.
Strictly speaking, the building is owned by House Kerrigan. The self-made noble family owns considerable holdings on the Arx. Indeed, 5% of the ginormous space station is directly owned by them, which is how Elpsis was able to repurpose the building. It used to partly be a massive luxury apartment block. While the skeleton of the building of the same, it has been remodelled from the ground up to serve a more socially beneficial purpose. The House of the Brave is located in the Presidium section of the Arx. The various arms of the massive space station are connected through a network of rapid transit trains, and there is a station not far from the House. This makes it easier for friends and family members of the residents to visit them. Visitors with disabilities are offered hoverchairs if they are available.
The primary purpose of the House of the Brave is to be a hospital and retirement home for war veterans. It provides nursing care as well as assisted living or domiciliary care. Elderly or incapacitated former soldiers are meant to receive accommodations, medical care and counselling here. Professional medical staff has been hired to provide care to the inhabitants. It also features a spacious courtyard, gardens and a nondenominated veterans' chapel that serves as a place of worship. Moreover, there is a fully equipped fitness centre. Physical therapy and training are treated as vital to the healing process - both physically and mentally. The staff includes licensed mental health professionals to help residents suffering from PTSD.
Elpsis has ordered that the home is supposed to be open not to just to Firemane regulars, but also auxiliaries and allies in Firemane's 'sphere'. This has led to quibbling because of course it has. Elpsis doesn't care. It has allowed say Qadiri Sepoys, who normally don't receive the full benefits package, to be cared for. There is no income or asset test. However, it only accepts people with a martial service background who have been honourably discharged, though a quarter of the bed occupants may be veteran-related family members. Furthermore, there is an application process. A doctor must certify their need for care. Elpsis may not be happy about this, but no institution can get by without bureaucracy. There are only so many beds available, after all.
Still, the home can be of great benefit to veterans who have a low income. Moreover, they live alongside other veterans who understand and share their struggles. While most of the hospital staff is composed of non-Force-Sensitive medical practitioners, it also includes a few Forcewielders. Some are associated with Firemane, such as healers who used to serve in the Order of Fire Hospitaller Corps; others have been hired independently. Qadiri and Vashyada healers are quite prominent. There is even a Witch of Dathomir.
Per Elpsis' orders, portraits, statues and other depictions of Siobhan Kerrigan, herself or other members of the family are not allowed in the House of the Brave. The focus is supposed to be on providing care for wounded or old veterans, not on glorifying the 'first family'. This has, of course, not stopped certain sycophantic officials from finding other ways to do just that. Thus the courtyard has generic statues which just happen to coincidentally resemble Siobhan, Elpsis and such. Elpsis will not be happy when she finds out.
While the House of the Brave has been set up at Elpsis' behest, she doesn't actually manage it. This is for the best since she has no understanding of or interest in administrative minutiae. Formally it falls under the authority of the House Kerrigan estate, which is managed by Siobhan Kerrigan's sycophantic majordomo Royal. Elpsis distrusts and despises Royal, so she has appointed a steering board to oversee it. It has been stipulated that one of the board members must be elected by the veterans themselves in order to ensure that their voice is heard. Elpsis is rarely on the Arx, but makes a point of visiting the home when she happens to be there. The House has an arrangement with the Fellowship of Generational Health and Resilience, a cloning group that provides cloned limbs, organs etc. for those in need of replacements.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Honoured Blade Service Hospital - the hospital and largest structure of the complex. Originally Royal slipped in the name 'Elpsis Kerrigan Memorial Hospital' to which Elpsis tersely replied it's only memorial if the founder is dead, and she isn't. Can provide both immediate and routine medical treatment, and is fully equipped for complex surgeries and long-term hospital care. The staff is a mix of Non-Force-Sensitives and Force-Using healers. Moreover, a number of medical droids are employed in a support role. The hospital includes surgical ward, an intensive care unit and a specialised facility that provides care for patients whose condition is terminal.
Grove of Tranquility - an oasis of nature amids the metal and machinery that makes up most of the Arx. The park is a place for residents to relax and destress. A variety of exotic plants from Tygara and other planets can be found here. Vashyada treesingers are consulted on how to maintain it. Features allegorical statues of soldiers from various species.
Bedrooms - where the veterans live. None of the rooms are luxurious, but they are spacious and give the residents the privacy they need along with some amenities. Each room has a HoloNet connection, making it easier for them to remain in touch with friends and loved ones.
Meditation Rooms - meditation is commonly associated with Force-Sensitives, but they are not the only ones who enjoy its benefits. It can help Non-Force-Sensitives, too, as communing with the Force is not a requirement. Patients are encouraged to meditate to reduce stress and improve their physical and emotional wellbeing.
Mess Hall - before the building was repurposed, the dining hall was a place for wealthy residents who had leased one of the luxury apartments to hold feasts. This turned out to be quite beneficial because the room was already equipped to accommodate a large number of people. The new dining hall is a lot less stuffy though. A few of the old paintings still hang on the wall.
Courtyard - a circularcentral area of the House and one of the first things visitors will see after passing through the security station. The courtyard is circular and open to the stars above, giving residents and visitors alike a panoramic view. While not overly militaristic, it features martial motifs, including symbolic statues of soldiers.
Library - contains both digitalised records and actual books. Several of the veterans are from Tygara or other low-tech worlds and thus are actually more familiar with the latter. This part of the complex is open to the public. A group of veterans, supported by interested historians, have organised a project that is supposed to collate and preserve the personal accounts of soldiers to make them available for future generations. The project is in its very early stages. The team aims to compile first-hand testimonies through video- and audio-recorded interviews, memoirs, diaries, letters and other primary sources.
Participation is voluntary, but the veteran group aims to reach as many soldiers as possible who are willing to record their memories and accounts before they are lost. Ultimately, the project is supposed to be accessible to the general public to give civilians as well as people considering a military career a better understanding of the reality of warfare. Elpsis didn't initiate the project, but supports it strongly. The project team members have been given office space for their work.
Security Station - a station located at the gate to the House of the Brave. As the name implies, it is guarded and meant to ensure that only authorised people are able to enter. The station is monitored by a comprehensive surveillance network, including cameras, weapons' detectors, scanners etc.
Pools - features indoor pools for both therapeutic and recreational purposes. Includes storage areas, lockers and shower rooms for both residents and staff members. Patients are encouraged to participate in the aquatic therapy programme.
A Leg Up Fitness Centre - contains a fully stocked gymnasium that offers fitness and wellness programmes tailored to accommodate all levels of fitness, with a focus on helping injured veterans regain their physical and mental health by providing physical fitness, motivation, support and advice. There are special coaching programmes for veterans who are elderly and/or have had to undergo amputation and reconstructive surgery due to combat injuries and are now adjusting to cybernetic prothesis. The coaches and mentors tend to be veterans themselves.
SECURITY
Medium. The House of the Brave has good surveillance and monitoring with a couple guards at the gate. Weapons' detectors and sophisticated scanners have been set up, along with cameras at the entrance. There is biometric security for all staff and pass cards for the inhabitants. The building features an alarm system and the like. However, it is not super locked down, since it is neither a prison nor a fortress. That said, it is located on the Arx Aeternae, a formidable space station that serves as the hub for many of Firemane's operations. The station is very heavily guarded and has formidable defences that can support the residents and staff of the House if needed.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Over the years, House Kerrigan-Alcori was able to amass immense wealth through business deals, tribute and outright conquest. Its head, Siobhan Kerrigan, started life as a pauper, but can now afford the lifestyle of an incredibly rich aristocrat or business magnate. Naturally she and her wife did what nouveau riche people tended to do: invest in status symbols to show off her wealth, along with making more money. When Firemane commissioned the Arx Aeternae, Siobhan made sure to stake her claim to 5% of the massive space station. This area would be reserved for her personal use, independent of her role as CEO of the megacorp. The family's holdings on the Arx encompassed several penthouses, apartments and living spaces. She also acquired various villas, parks and pieces of real estate on planets Firemane had a presence on. However, a rapid, glorious ascent tends to be followed by a fall.
During a routine business trip to Dahomey, Siobhan was ambushed by a Sith Lord called Darth Soteria. Soteria and her followers. They ambushed the guests and killed most of the guards. Refusing to flee and abandon her people, Siobhan engaged Soteria in a brutal duel. She was able to fatally wound the Sith, but was defeated and close to death. Her daughter Elpsis managed to chase off her mother's attacker, but could not defeat her. She was able to use her powers to keep Siobhan from dying, at the cost of draining herself and falling unconscious.
Siobhan entered a coma. Per her will, Elpsis was made acting matriarch of House Kerrigan-Alcori, though not of Friemane itself. The soldier was very unhappy about this and wanted little to do with her new role, associating it with the decadence and greed of her mothers. However, after numerous battles and an encounter with Varisanthra Lycaeni, a partner and occasional rival of her mother, she decided to take an interest in the role that had been thrust on her, but on her terms.
Elpsis considered the status symbols her family had amassed to be pointless and wasteful. Thus she decreed that some should be given a more socially useful purpose. After learning about her family's holdings on the Arx, she decided to remodel them. Due to a clause in her mother's will, Elpsis was unable to get rid of any of her family's assets, but she could to a degree decide what they should be used for. Her family's majordomo Royal initially resisted the heiress' attempts to exert actual influence, resenting her intrusion into what she considered 'her' fiefdom.
But being an opportunistic court flunky, Royal immediately changed her tune the moment she saw the chance to profit. Siobhan's coma had marginalised her in Firemane's ruling group, and so she needed to find new ways to raise her profile. Because Elpsis didn't trust Royal, she asked Xhal'Zayo, a Xioquo trans woman and personal friend, to act as her advocate. Zayo, known to her friends as Sidhe, had experience with dealing with poisonous and treacherous families due to being raised in a toxic noble house prior to the fall of the ancien régime. Moreover, she was good with finances.
Elpsis saw having a block of luxury apartments as pointless, so she decreed that the building should be turned into a hospital and retirement home for wounded veterans. She was strongly influenced by her own experiences. Elpsis spent much of her childhood poor, with no access to the medical care of the elite. This changed when the clan took her under their wing. She had been injured numerous times as a Firemane soldier, but could count on receiving the best of care and state-of-the art prothesis or cloned replacements if she lost a limb. However, the average grunt did not receive the same privilege. This applied in particular to the native auxiliaries Firemane hired to bolster its ranks.
Some of the apartments had been leased to friends or partners of the family. Naturally they were generally not happy about being evicted. However, in her own way Elpsis could be just as authoritarian as her mother, though it manifested differently. The home was opened with more fanfare than Elpsis would have liked, since the courtiers would not miss an opportunity for self-promotion. Still, the first patients soon settled into the House.
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