Into the Wild [ Alliance Dominion of Dahomey & Kinyen ]

[Choli Vyn]

​

D A H O M E Y​

​

Dahomey; a wild arid planet full of deserts and flat subsaharran plains. It was the first planet that came under the purview of Omega Pyre years ago. At that time it had been subjugated by warlords and Bando Gora Reavers, liberated by the OP liberation force lead by [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] and [member="Tegaea Alcori"]. The planet became a Firemane stronghold, investing heavily in Dahomey's rich resources with mining and training the local militia.

Over time, Dahomey became a refuge for Zonyu V refugees, with its largest city, Abomey, maintaining about a million people. The Netherworld event and the fall of the Protectorate changed that, disrupting the local order. Warlords exploiting the population as well as slavers have overrun the planet. A message sent to Firemane Industries as well as to the Galactic Alliance requests for aid, prompting a dispatch of diplomats as well as reinforcements to aid in regaining order.

Among the recesses of the wilds, the wild animals of Dahomey seem to be stirring in ways that are found to be unusual. Could this be due to the Warlords, or something far more sinister? [member="Tempest"].



Objectives:

1. Aggressive Negotiations: The endemic warlordism of sub-Saharan Africa is prevalent here, especially since the fall of OP. Warlords exploiting the population and slavers preying on them is what the Galactic Alliance and allies will aid the locals to bring to a halt.

2. Into the Wild: A Dark Side Force User manipulating the wild animals of Dahomey to try and achieve their ends. They would be opposed to ‘invaders’ no matter which stripe they wear. Please tag [member="Tempest"] for full details.

3. The Peaceful stuff: The planet itself is pretty much as the planet sub. It’s a planet of considerable untapped potential. There’s precious ores to be mined and natural beauty to be admired. There’s also a still sub-galactic technological population too who could use a hand.

4. Bring your own Objective.

---

---

K I N Y E N


Kinyen is a world of differing climates, with large and rolling grasslands, a dense and beautiful forest, and one of the longest and clearest rivers in the Bes Ber Bikade sector. The beauty of this planet, which boasted almost no natural predators, helped the Gran develop strong bonds of home and family in their race. With such close bonds formed throughout the Gran community, it was not surprising that they concentrated their cities into very small areas, so they were never out of touch with their many relatives.

Alliance friendly, the Gran are setting in place a small festival to encourage relations. Those who desire to attend may do so freely, while continuing talks of resources and securing the local sector continue.

Objectives:

1. A festival!: A vital world along the Corellian Trade Spine, the Galactic Alliance is tasked to scout and open up negotiations with the local Gran community. A small festival is taking place is open to all who desire to join.

2. Trade: Open up trade centers for Alliance friendly companies.

3. Rogue Squadron: Will be scouting the local sector and coming into contact with potential troubles...

4. Bring your own Objective.

---

All are welcome to join, as Galactic Alliance threads are always open to the public. We are aiming for a T2, but if the story ends up going beyond 110 and past 150, we will be happy with the hex as well!

Please enjoy yourselves and have fun! Any questions, please do not hesitate to contact GA Faction Staff.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Choli Vyn"] [member="Elpsis Elaris"]
Dahomey
(1)

Dahomey.

As Tempest stood on board the Ardarvia and looked down at the world below she had definite mixed feelings. Dahomey was her home, her roots. And yet, it was also where she had been enslaved, mistreated, had the Force awoken in her.
It was also the place she had met [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], and later where she had first trained as part of the Protectorate.

They entered the orbit of the planet, doubtless there would be other Galactic Alliance ships present as well.
“Transmit our code clearance and offer our assistance to any of their forces. Advise them that we are moving to re-establish our former outpost as a base of operations,” she ordered.
When news that the Alliance was going to put Dahomey under their protection had come to Firemane, Tempest had spearheaded an effort to join and once again extend Firemane’s interests to the planet. This had been accepted by the Alliance, and so with their one ship they were here to help.

“Get the troops embarked and deploy fighters to cover our descent.” A couple of hundred Firemane troops, some light walkers and speeders were in the frigate, waiting to be deployed. Presumably either Siobhan or [member="Elpsis Elaris"] was here. If it was the latter Tempest would be most pleased as she could show off her home to her girlfriend. She was somewhat concerned though that the younger firemane would end up taming a Cylix!

 

[Liliane]

[ 01 ]

Aboard one of the Alliance ships was Lilin Imperieuse. As a Jedi Master and a Hound, she saw it as her duty to go on most missions of the New Jedi Order she could, being a great example to the younger. The feeling of peace she gained from such missions was the most important, though. Every time she came home from a successful dominion or a battle, she felt at ease.

And then she took a bath.

This time, she didn't work with the Hounds, though. Not because she didn't like spending time with Meeristali and Jacen and everybody else - but mostly the two - but more because she had her personal things to go through this time.

Of course she wouldn't stay away from fighting -- that was exactly why she was there. The warlords at Dahomey were really aggressive, standing against civil rights and just acting out of place. The Alliance would have to change that. And they were able to change that. Whether Lilin was able to change that or not was questionable.

She was there with her full set: a jacket, trousers, boots, both of her lightsabers, a blaster and a ton of smaller gadgets. Oh, and one could not forget about the Covenant Ring. Who knew what the warlords were like -- maybe they were so brutal that she would have required an armour. Maybe they were just and overrated bunch of wannabe barbarians who couldn't even scratch Lilin.

She would find out soon.

 

[Choli Vyn]

Kinyen
Objective 3: Rogue Squadron
NPC - Rogue One
[member="Aedan Lochlan"] - Rogue Two | [member="Tela Uolmi"] - Rogue Three | [member="Loske Matson"] - Rogue Five | [member="Choli Vyn"] - Rogue Seven | [member="Encouragement Gets"] - Rogue Eight | [member="Asmus Janes"] - Rogue Nine | [member="Alexandra Russo"] - Rogue Eleven | [member="Lucius Varad"] - Rogue Twelve | [member="Allyson Locke"] - Rogue Thirteen | [member="Owen Holst"] - Rogue Fourteen | [member="Sylvia Nuru"] - Rogue Fifteen | [member="Jareb Kaine"] - Rogue Sixteen | [member="Devyn Lynton"] - Rogue Seventeen

---

Republic Carrier


"You know, if you took the time to actually be nice to her, then maybe she wouldn't be keen on slugging you on the face the next time you make a joke like that." Choli would tell her companion, laying flat under her X-Wing while she did some last minute repairs. Rogue Squadron had orders to go on a scouting run around the Kinyen Sector... hopefully they would be able to complete it fast enough to get back in time for the three day festival the Gran were giving.

They had about half an hour before they would head off. Those who were lucky were able to skip the scouting mission, while others had to dress up in the orange jumpsuits. Choli was one of the ones who had drawn the short stick. She was stuck with the boring scouting job.

"Either that or you'll have to invest in more ice packs for that shinner you got!" she flashed a grin, half covered in grease and a bit of grime.

 

[Isha]

Dahomey
Objective 1: Kick Warlord butt!

---

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"] would not be alone. There were several other members of the New Jedi Order as well as the Galactic Alliance who would answer the call. Firemane Industries had been contacted to perhaps join forces and work together. At the very least, find out what their plans were so they wouldn't be stepping on each other's toes. The company knew this world and had formed strong ties to it and its people. They would be the best at providing information and recon for the warlords that had taken root due to the Netherworld event.

The small yodaling was in her typical attire. She was a match for her Master's typical Vanguard garb, down to the armor itself. Tiny olive ears would give a small shift as the other Jedi and Alliance members would weave to and fro. They were all in various states of readiness. Some were familiar faces, others were not.

Catching sight of the young woman a few meters from her, Isha gave a slight frown. Had she formally met her? Perhaps not. Time to remedy that.

Her bare three toed feet would amble the tiny padawan over to Lilin. There, those large lavender eyes would sweep up as she waited patiently to be acknowledged.


[member="Tempest"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Devyn Lynton]

[ 02 ]

Republic Carrier

Stepping into the hangars with a cardboard cup of coffee in his hand and a yawn on his face, Devyn was definitely not up for such a mission. He had been sent to scout on Kinyen or something, which he found a terrible idea due to his huge sleep deprivation. But he couldn't argue with the bosses, so just had had to put on his orange uniform, grab a coffee and come to his X-wing.

He wasn't one to do a lot of the repair work on the ship. He would do as much as he could - that is, how much he knew about repairing a ship - and then he would leave the rest to those who were actually proficient in such things.

He saw Rogue Seven working on her starfighter like a pro, talking to somebody whom he'd never seen before. But there weren't many others there, really. True, they had half an hour before they would have to set off, but he expected to see a ton of them already there, doing their things.

The x-wings had been lined up in the queue that matched the order of Rogues. That meant Devyn's ship was really far away from Rogue Seven. Meh, there would be others around him though. Thirteen and Fourteen, perhaps. That is, if they were the unlucky ones who had to go to the mission. If they were lucky, they would get to enjoy the festival instead.

"Hey!" Devyn said to Choli as he passed her ship.

[ [member="Choli Vyn"] ]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

ABOMEY
MARKET
DISGUISED; FORCE PRESENCE HIDDEN

Lady Cardei of Naboo would have been welcome here at least among a certain set, but Lady Cardei wasn't here. Because Lady Cardei was, on paper, an untrained Force-sensitive, and thus Lady Cardei couldn't be found hunting for a powerful Darksider. Certainly not with the acquisition of knowledge on her mind.

Fortunately, her Socorran blood let her blend in somewhat. Clothing had taken a bit more doing. She'd procured a traditional dress through contacts of contacts. Once she'd actually set foot in Abomey, though, she'd found it necessary to change into something a lot closer to galactic standard attire, if such a thing existed. Oh, to be sure, Abomey's market had its share of colorful dresses, but it also had plenty of shirts and trousers and other offworld clothes. In one of her skirts from home, then, with a long shirt and a traditional wrap over top, Ajira finally considered herself able to blend in visually. There wasn't much she could do about her dialect, apart from stripping out the Naboo accent.

If she wanted this trip to be productive, she would simply have to listen more and speak less.

First order of business: avoiding the local insects. Her limited knowledge of this place, and Shambleau's best research, indicated that getting stung, especially in the torso, could be bad news. Fortunately, there was supposed to be a certain kind of local soap -- this market was famous for it -- that could repel the insects in question.

"Here you are," said the merchant, straightening from under the table. He held a topless wooden crate full of neatly packaged bars. "Best soap here, best soap anywhere."

"Yes, but I'm looking for the real soap, the local soap."

"You don't want that. This is better." He held it up, pointing to the Omega StarCorp logo. "Imported. Very nice, works well, smells exquisite. Nothing but the best, and I have such a discount for you-"

Something odd and ugly began to take form in Ajira's gut. She couldn't pin it down or name it. "This is not the soap I want. I want the local soap that repels your biting insects."

"This keeps you-" The merchant trailed off as Ajira gestured surreptitiously. His face went slack. "This is the only soap we have," he said after a long moment. "My grandmother knew how to make the soap you want. I have none."

She bought two bars of namana-scented OSC soap and moved on. Errands to run, contacts to make.

 

[Saffron]

Dahomey: Abomey
Arceneau Trade Company Warehouse and Spaceport

---

"Security has been increased tenfold." the update from Afie Uei, the Security Officer in charge of overseeing the safety of ATC workers and supplies pipped through the holographic comm. He was staring straight to one of the most recent faces to coincide with leading the conglomerate through its many recent changes. Saffron and Aeri Vyn, among others, were becoming more often than naught a common sight instead of the Queen of Trade. With the many changes in her life, that made sense. Of course, delegating had its benefits as well as negatives. However, the women were doing well for the job that was required of them.

Saffron had been seen to oversee and ensure security would maintain itself among the small spaceport and warehouses on Dahomey. With how the situation had become recently volitle, attacks against the compound had resulted in an increase in building defenses. Not to mention, slowing the progress at potentially purchasing new mines.

"What of Fierie Jens?" That was her contact. "Any word?"

"We have dispatched a small security force as requested to ensure their safety. The meeting will continue as planned."

"Good." They were here to try and lend aid in what way they could. Word had it that the Alliance and Firemane were the sharp point to try and get the Warlords in line.

Here's hoping they did exactly that.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

ABOMEY
MARKET
DISGUISED; FORCE PRESENCE HIDDEN

"Are you Esterle?"

The guide was a Nikto, sipping bottled lum under a cantina's awning. At her question, he tipped the beer in her direction. "And you must be Shira. Shambleau said you'd want to get started soon as possible."

"Yes, thank you. I have quite a bit to do."

Esterle looked her up and down, then shrugged and stood, draining the last of his beer. "All right by me. Speeder's fuelled, got enough bottled water packed for a month-"

"I'd understood that Abomey had reliable water supplies."

"Lot of places, sure. Thing you gotta understand, though, Shira..." The Nikto set the bottle aside and came down from the veranda, leading her toward a blocky airspeeder. "Thing you gotta understand is, what kind of person are you?"

Ajira eyed him over the body of the speeder. "I don't follow. Are you talking about risk-taking?"

"No. I'm talking about how you approach problems in places you don't know. Are you a seeker, or are you a planner? Put another way, how ready are you to listen? If you came here with a solid plan, you're not going to get very far. But pay attention and you just might."

He slid into the speeder; she took the other seat. "What does that have to do with bottled water?"

He fired up the old speeder and eased it through the streets of Abomey. "A good chunk of Dahomey got wells installed, courtesy of the first big corporate push -- humanitarian aid to go with the mining investment, see. But the Omega Protectorate's gone, and the thing with wells is, they take pumps and pipes, and those wear down piece by piece. Maybe people can get the parts, maybe they jury-rig something, maybe there's a crack -- bottom line, go for bottled water when you can, or carry a purifier." He tapped one of his belt pouches. "Because somewhere along the line, someone thought they had the answer to everything, and it worked great...for a little while. I'm not sure what problem you're here to solve; just make sure you haven't already decided what the solution is."

"What makes you think I'm here to solve a problem?"

Easterle, still driving, turned and met her eyes. "The gorram lightsabre under your shirt. I'm not an idiot, Shira."

 

[Veronika Nova]

Kinyan - Festival
[member="Iestyn Nova"]

It was rare for the Novas to delve out of their nest and simply enjoy themselves planetside without it being due to discovering a new world or due to having to present at a conference. They were a rather studious lot, enjoying each others company and their scholarly pursuits. However, there came a time where even they had to take some time off besides those slotted for their Red Days. Mandatory vacation as it were. Even if they took two to three days off every quarter, with an entire month of accrued personal leave, they had to at least take some time to themselves when they were out of the university or their long distance exploration freighter.

The festival was already at full swing. The weather perfect. A lazy afternoon as it were, to simply mingle and enjoy each others company. There were a few booths as well as several areas to eat. Further up ahead were the conference rooms where Gran Officials would discuss with those of the Alliance. For those who were not so much into politics, they would simply gather at the lower levels, perhaps visit the small botanical gardens.

As it were, it was one of these gardens that had garnered Veronika's interest. Things were still a bit strained between her and her mate, what with having missed their Red Day months earlier. Their previous trip had found a measure of relief with the discovery of the new world. However, it was without a doubt that the Lovalla needed some time to themselves. Even if it was simply to be able to be within each others company without the distraction of work or a grant paper to turn in.

Veronika lightly would lean over the bud of Adiendis Breniatous, a bright fuchsia orchid that would only bloom once every twenty years for a fortnight. It was said that the petals of Adiendis Breniatous were a hue reminicent of the color the Lovalla Professor used to dye her hair. As one who enjoyed the broad spectrum of vivid colors, as well as a Xenobiologist, being here to witness it bloom was a special occasion indeed. Few would appreciate it as much as Veronika and Iestyn.

There was mild pleasure in the flow and flux of colors that would shift amidst the stripes and the mottled spots. Certainly a few shades brighter than had been in the past. A promising step for sure, but would it be enough? They were still in their early stages of their bond, five years a mere blink for the long lived Lovalla. At times, one could say that the species came into their matings naive and perhaps unprepared. They mated for life and the longer they remained together the closer the bonds, but this did not allow for the social dating and discovery of the opposite sex much like that experienced by humans.

Granted, Iestyn and Veronika did not have to deal with the daily hormonal shifts. Then again, due to their emotional and teleempathic bonds, if it was better or worse was yet to be seen.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

ABOMEY
MARKET
DISGUISED; FORCE PRESENCE HIDDEN

The speeder idled to a halt in a crowd. Unlike the denser parts of the market's stall area, this crowd all seemed to have one object in mind. Ajira unbuckled her repulsor restraints and stood to look over their heads. "Some kind of street preacher or announcer. What's he saying that the crowd's this thick?"

"That's Fanonne." Easterle's eyes tightened in an emotion Ajira couldn't name. She retook her seat and waited for him to elaborate. He shrugged. "Fanonne is...well, depends who you ask. Some people call him a radical, and yeah, get him drunk and he'll start talking about violence and offworld corporate oppression. He's said a few things sober that'll make offworlders nervous. I've been here nine years and I don't mind telling you I've been one of them."

"And what do the locals say?"

That might have been approval in his face; she couldn't tell. "Some will tell you he's a troublemaker. Some will tell you he sees deep, uncomfortable truths and shoves them into the light. Truths about the locals, about the offworlders, about how we get along and how we see each other."

"And you?"

"Me?" The Nikto blinked and shrugged again, easing the speeder through the edges of the crowd. "I think his message isn't meant for me, but it explains an awful lot. I could tell you that I've never heard him advocate violence, but he doesn't think much of nonviolent protest."

"Seems like an artificial line to me. Some kind of deniable way to keep the moral high ground."

"Maybe. Maybe he just talks so that he'll get calmer, smarter people on his side. He's not here to whip up a frenzy and get you and me killed."

Ajira mulled that over, suddenly very aware of the crowd around. They seemed decidedly other, in a way they hadn't before. "What's to resent?"

"Oh, you don't want me to get into all that."

"I've got a nose for what I want. Try me."

The speeder pulled out of the crowd's edge and continued on through Abomey's mud huts and dusty old prefabricated buildings. "Well, the way he talks, I think it comes down to shame. Learning to see yourself as less civilized, less cultured, less intelligent, with less potential, than an offworlder. I've been outwitted in the market a thousand times, and I can't debate Fanonne worth drek -- there's nothing wrong with the brains around here, let me tell you -- but Fanonne sees what he sees." Easterle gestured around at the buildings that made up the city. "Dirty, clean. Naive, educated. Primitive, refined. Trapped, free. So some people feel, in one way or another. Like to be worth anything, they have to become at least partially an offworlder. Look what you wore to blend in, yes? Part one thing and part another. And like feth did you come to this planet and this market to buy Omega soap imported by Arceneau Trade."

 

[Aneya Maev]

[ 03 ]

For the first time during the existence of Sullust Central News Network, an event was going to be handled by both Sullust Entertainment and Sullust Daily. That is exactly why Aneya was on Kinyen with all of her ships and along with Corina Hackett, the editor-in-chief of Sullust Entertainment. Both were in the J-type star skiff, flying towards the planet with the rest of the 'fleet'.

Of course this event was worth noting. The festival was one of the most appreciated ones in the whole galaxy and not publishing a single article about it in the news was like a sin. And even though this was no Liberation of Coruscant, the SCNN had been given another permission to broadcast the festival.

Aneya had been in talks about what parts of the event they are allowed to show through HoloTV and which they weren't, and the organisers and Aneya had decided it would be OK to broadcast most of the activities and events of the festival.

Eyeing the plans and timetables saved on her holopad, the editor-in-chief of Sullust Daily was hopeful. Most of these would be handled by Sullust Entertainment, meaning she could just enjoy the party and keep an eye on the broadcast every once in a while. Corina was going to be in charge of the whole broadcast this time.

Oddly, Xander had given the two all of the ships SCNN had this time, unlike at the invasion of Coruscant. Both editor-in-chiefs were really happy about such a change of mind the CEO had gone through. However, what they did not know was that the man was purchasing additional ships so that he could provide enough vessels for all three of the newspapers under his control.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

4/20
ABOMEY
MARKET
DISGUISED; FORCE PRESENCE HIDDEN

The speeder drifted to a halt in front of another cantina that used to be an offworld prefab, some kind of comms building maybe. A hard wind was blowing grit down the streets. Ajira covered her mouth and nose with the fringe of her wrap. "Why are we here?" she said over the wind.

"This place?" Esterle slid out of the vehicle and tossed an unfamiliar coin to a local child, who gave him some kind of gesture in response. "Best watering hole around, Shira. At least if you have certain peculiar tastes."

She wasn't sorry to get inside, though she took a moment to adjust the lightsabre under her shirt. If Esterle had noticed and identified it, others would too. This planet seemed to be an awake sort of place, where observation and presence of mind were tightly bound to one's chances for survival. Inside the cantina, she certainly felt an eye or two. Perhaps she didn't blend in as well as she'd thought.

Esterle led her to take a seat with him at a small, round table, where a local man was sipping orange wine from a long-necked bottle. "Your health," he said, raising the bottle.

"Shira," said Esterle, "this is Toniyo Garamsi."

"The Underground fighter? You're from Dahomey?"

"And never forgot it, not the whole time the Fringe had me locked up." Garamsi took a long drink. "The comforts of home. What can I do for you, outlander?"

Ajira glanced around, then leaned close over the table. "I came here because I heard that there are disturbances. Animals acting strangely, sometimes against offworlders."

"Oh -- you're looking for that one." Garamsi exchanged a glance with Esterle, then set the bottle aside. "I can't help you with the finding, but I can help you with the understanding. Ask away."

"Is this person, or people, Force-sensitive?"

"I met enough Force-witches in prison that I can't say for sure. Forcers are strange. But there could be other explanations, other mechanisms -- sonics, drugs, training. You can train just about any creature to accept and embrace just about anything."

"Mechanisms?"

"The person or people you're after, and the animal behavior that they're using to achieve their ends -- does it matter if it's the Force that connects them, or drugs, or technology, or persuasion? No. What matters is that boundless frustration lies behind animal attacks on offworlders of all stripes."

"Frustration?"

"Say you've been persuaded the 'verse works in one way. Say you've let yourself consent to all manner of ideas and plans that were actually meant to keep you docile, compliant. Say most worlds and governments work like this to one extent or another." Garamsi drank again. "Now say you realize you've been played for a fool. You lash out. And what's worse is, the only way available to you is the way they left you. You reinforce their stereotypes, their prejudices, with every move you make. The more you win, the more you lose. Cognitive dissonance. So you take ownership of it, or try to. You take everything they hate and fear about you and your home, and you weaponize it. And it gives them justification to do anything, and in your heart of hearts, you know you'll never amount to anything but violence. So you take ownership of the violence and you soldier on, because there's nothing else to be done. No other escape valve for the overpressure inside you. Their ideas, their expectations, have bound you so tightly that the only release lies exactly where they expect it to lie."

Ajira leaned back and folded her arms. "And this is all...guesswork?"

"We're all prisoners of the norms we've been conditioned to follow, Shira. When I was in the Fringe's prison, they almost made me believe I deserved to be there. That I belonged there. That I'd never amount to anything outside. And before that, before I learned to fight, I did believe that the art and entertainment and manners and values of offworlders were something to be sought, something to be admired and respected above my own. I believed it was normal, even desirable, for offworlders to come here, mine our minerals, pay our leaders, and leave with our birthright. I believed that offworlders could come here and fix our problems for us. I believed, and so I consented to a leash. A muzzle. When I woke up, when I broke free..." Garamsi stared into the bottle, nearly hypnotized. "...well, that awakening hurt my sense of my own value. I was no longer what I'd been; instead, I knew I was a fool. I believe you hunt a man who feels the same. Some people, when they face the changing values of their world, when they see the impending march of hegemony, they hang themselves and merit a chapter in some offworlder's memoirs. It happened to my friend Okonkwo. But before he died, he lashed out, and he was a strong man. Dangerous. Even though his action confirmed the offworlders' prejudices, he could only find that one way forward: violence and then annihilation. Such is the power of frustration."

 

[Liliane]

[ 04 ]

Lilin was no commander, but she sure did love watching out of the window on ships and holding her hands behind her back. After all, this was going to be the first time she would be on a mission with the rest of the New Jedi Order, but not with the Hounds. She kind of felt a little bit embarrassed or even guilty. Even though she knew all of the members of the group did their own stuff sometimes.

Soon her eyes met those of Isha's. She didn't personally know the young Padawan, but she had heard of her being Aela Talith's padawan. And that definitely meant something. Whether she would become a great fighter like her master or not, only time could tell.

She didn't know the girl's name. Only the fact that the yodaling was Aela's padawan. And there weren't a lot of members of Yoda's species in the New Jedi Order.

"Hello," the Jedi Master said kindly and with ease, even though deep inside she could feel a little bit anxious about the whole adventure. It was an usual thing for her -- she couldn't go to a mission without worrying even a little bit about how it's gonna go or if she's going to return whatsoever. There were others going to the battle, as well, so she knew she wouldn't be alone.

But still, something troubled her every time.

"Looking forward to the mission?" she asked, trying to remember how she had felt as a Padawan. The fear of being a disappointment and failure, as well as the constant thought that she wouldn't get out of there alive or that she would die the first second was a common thing. Nowadays, she didn't feel so bad anymore. Sure, she worried, but those thoughts didn't overwhelm her anymore.

Mostly because she knew how to fight now.

[ [member="Isha"] ]

 

[Asher]

[ 03 ]

The reprimands had stung at the time. Owen’s bruises still hadn’t completely healed up, but they were manageable. Nothing like a little numb back pain to really tell yourself you were still alive after having done the right thing. [member="Allyson Locke"] -- or rather, Lucky as he took to calling her -- was safe and sound. Maybe a bit bruised and battered herself, but the man regretted nothing. He would be dead the day he regretted doing the right thing, getting his ship blown up in a foolish mistake or no. Besides, getting a nice message from the blonde he had seen with Allyson at the Gala in which she thanked him for what he had done made it feel all the more worthwhile.

The same old smirk tugged at his lips as he stepped inside the hangar with a few others. Where some would have called scouting a boring job, he was just happy he was still considered for these things. Landing a ship and having it blow up was really bad business on a pilot’s resume.

“Hey Seven-Seventeen.” Owen said as he approached [member="Devyn Lynton"] and [member="Choli Vyn"] both. His smirk turned into a grin and his finger ran through his hair. “You guys still sore from Coruscant, or is that just me?”

The grin faded somewhat. “It’s just me, isn’t it?”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

(1)
Objective: Beat up warlords, adopt a Cylix.
Allies: [member="Tempest"], Firemane and Galactic Alliance in general.
Location: Aboard the Ardarvia, Dahomey orbit.


Dahomey.


Elpsis had never visited the planet during her travels as a itinerant mercenary and smuggler, but the name had meaning to her. She'd grown up on stories about Tegaea and Siobhan when she was a kid. Most importantly, it was the homeworld of her girlfriend, Tempest. That alone made it important to her as well.


Unfortunately, it was once again plagued by warlords and slavers, parasites leeching off their fellow man to empower themselves. So it was only natural that Elpsis came to lend a hand when Firemane returned to the planet. She would probably not admit it, but it might also constitute a form of atonement. After all, these were the sort of leeches she'd once done business with.


So she linked up with Tempest while the Dahomian Amazon was being all commanding and Firemane soldiers were pouring into dropships. Several of them were not foreigners, but natives, for the megacorporation employed a disproportionate number of Dahomians. Folks called those in the mid-level and upper ranks the Dahomey Clique!


"Hey, you wait for me. I'm coming with you," Elpsis when she quickly headed towards the beskar-clad amazon. She planted a quick kiss on the woman's cheek. "So, we're gonna clobber warlords? Sounds fun. Jedi jihadists better not get their knickers in a twist about 'evil lightning'." Elpsis had not yet learned the meaning of a word called tact. She also had a troubled history with Jedi.


"By the way, what happened on Kessel? Siobhan was in, like, robo mode when she came home. Asked what the feth was up with Nato, got nothing." The dropship leapt out of the hangar, taking course to the planetoid, which was covered by savannah and deserts. The wild life was very exciting. Perhaps once things had calmed down a foreign company would create a tourist resort and organise safari trips.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]
Dahomey
(2)

Tempest, who was not the most tactful person to start with, smirked.
“Hey, we’ve got an agreement with them. We’ll stay out of their way, they’ll stay out of ours. Come along, I want to be first one down there.”

As they walked to the dropship Tempest glanced at her girlfriend. “I’ll tell it to you plain; Natoline went crazy. Tried to kill her father, don’t know if she did, faced off against Siobhan and vanished. I’m sure we could have found her, but Sio was done with her. And honestly, I am too. Stupid girl brought her baby into a warzone – I just hope that baby doesn’t end up dead before its time because her mother is a lunatic.”

They got on board and strapped in, soon they were on their way down to the surface.
“This is something of a homecoming for most of us. A lot of us haven’t been home for years, a lot of us haven’t wanted to.”

She looked at the passengers and activated her comm. “Mercy, take your squad and secure the perimeter, Blade and Maker go with her. Talon, Shade and Claw, you’re with me.”
There was an ascent from those both on the ship and in other craft.

The Dahomians had a curious way of naming their children; they often named them descriptive names which best suited their personalities when they came to take a name around their 10th birthday. This all sounded rather odd to most in the rest of the galaxy, but to the Dahomey the name embodied them, and it was different from their birth name.

 

[Aneya Maev]

[ 05 ]

NPC Used: Corina Hackett

Corina would start the broadcast after Aneya left the vessel, aka joined the party. She would stay in the ship which would fly above the planet of Kinyen. It was going to be protected by several ships that were around the planet's orbit. And although those ships' main goal wasn't protection, they had agreed to keep an eye on SCNN vessels.

"Team B1 is on. You may start the broadcast."

"Good day, citizens of the Galactic Alliance! You are watching Sullust Entertainment Live at Alliance TV Channel 1, live from Kinyen," Corina spoke to the camera. The three editor-in-chiefs of SCNN would also become news anchors when the company actually got into making their own news programmes and such. And even though the woman was a little bit nervous, she was in her element at presenting the broadcast.

"Today marks the first day of the three-day festival on Kinyen, which we are going to broadcast live at both Channel 1 and Sullust Entertainment Online holonet site," the woman continued.

"Take a look at the timetable of the festival," she said. At the same time, a timetable was supposed to appear on the broadcast, right next to the woman. She would introduce people to the different events, telling shortly about them, and also commenting on which ones they would show live.

Most reports by the different teams were sent to Aneya, not Corina, as the latter was more caught up with hosting the live show.

"Team C has landed," the civilian cam team reported. This time, the team would be a lot larger than it was on Coruscant. After all, battlefield reporters were in a very dangerous position, so not many people wanted to do such a job. However, typical reporters would use every chance they had to shine.

"Team B2 is on."

"Team S reporting in."

"Team T is deployed."

Aneya got chills from the teamwork they'd established. She hadn't thought things would go that easily before the invasion of Coruscant, but once again the team showed the woman there really was not much to worry about.

However, these people weren't Sullust Daily editorial. They all worked for Sullust Entertainment, meaning she didn't know much about them. It could become a difficulty, but it might have not -- nobody could tell at that moment.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]
Dahomey
(2)

"Oh, yeah, the Light Sider's Burden. So the Jedi are acting like they're noble saviours defending the weak. I guess they'll always go looking for someone to save and 'civilise'. Hope it actually helps locals and gives them a fair choice. Instead of a foreign governor running things 'for their own good', people still living in poverty and a horde of exploitative, rich tourists flooding the place to laze around in luxury resorts, go on safari trips and stare at the locals as if they're exotic curiosities. Well, you're there, so that's good. You're actually from here."


Elpsis had strong opinions on such matters. Some might be a bit hypocritical. But she was a very jaded girl. However, her thoughts were pushed away from making political statements when her girlfriend brought up what had happened on Kessel. For a moment she didn't know what to say. Shock crossed her features.


"What the feth? Nato did what? That's fething loony. I'd punch the stupid girl. Poor baby," she snarled angrily and took a few long, deep breaths to compose herself and put out the flame that had manifested inside her hand. Due to her own background, Elpsis took Nato's folly particularly hard. "Well, I'll look after Adril and Livia. They deserve way better than her."


She sat down next to Tempest and gave her a pat on the shoulder, but nothing more than that. Even someone as unruly as Elpsis knew that now was not the time for hand-holding and displays of affection. "Ok. I'm ready. I'm glad to be part of your homecoming." The Dahomians' naming traditions didn't sound weird to her just, just different. She was used to people judging others just because the way they lived their lives didn't fit into their own neat boxes.


Major Tempest directed her soldiers' teams, the dropship pierced the atmosphere of the planet. She gazed out of the viewing port as the transport swept across the plains, giving her a good view of the savannah and the city. It was an arid world full of desers and subsaharan plains. Here and there, they overflew small villages. Since she was a pyromancer, the heat did not bother her. Their dropship was the first to land, hitting the ground on the premise of Firemane's old and now abandoned base at Abomey, throwing up columns of dust and smoke on the way. Firemane had lost contact with its people during the Netherworld event and the place had been looted. Soldiers quickly fanned out to secure the perimeter when the landing ramp lowered with a loud hiss.

 

[Iestyn Nova]

[member="Veronika Nova"]
Kinyan Festival

It didn’t matter that the Adiendis Breniatous did not interest Iestyn as much as Veronika. What mattered was the bloom of joy and anticipation he felt across their bond. A fraction of a second behind his own skin tone shifted to mirror the brighter colours that rippled across hers. It did interest him, but whether he watched it open or her reaction to it was yet to be seen.

“How certain are they it will bloom today?” he asked quietly. She shifted her grip to pull him across in front of her. She wrapped him in her arms protectively and settled her chin on his shoulder. The females were the dominant species of the Lovalla, generally taller than males and this pair was no exception.

Iestyn wanted nothing more than to see and feel her happiness when it bloomed, but he’d also seen couples rowing boats out across the lazy river. That might be nice when the sun was going down. Just to let the little boat float across the water whilst he sung softly.

They had struggled those first weeks, very much so. But Iestyn had come to decide quite firmly that they were more than just their almost symbiotic hormonal systems. Not everything in life was easy. It had seemed at first that their bond was almost a feedback for their anguish, only serving to amplify it. Iestyn had decided not to accept that. If the bond was not their so they could understand and look out for each other, then what was it there for? One had to push past the shared pain when something emotionally hurt and use it as a signal to find the cause.

“It’s nice here,” he said, turning his head into her as she kissed his cheek.