Negotiations of her people... [Omega Pyre Dominion of Naboo]

[Jsc]

Summer Lake
Naboo
@[member="Chloe Blake"] @[member="Jorus Merrill"]

A submersible sat atop the surface of a clean clear Naboo lake. Inside was a blue haired-woman who had taken great pains to travel planet-side. Her name was Karen Roberts, and she was a lifetime Jedi warrior.

"...Yes. A lifetime warrior who somehow forgot to bring her sun-tan lotion to Naboo. Ugh. Of all the places to adventure. What was I thinking?"

She sighed to herself and fiddled with the control panel. Then she clicked open com,

"Shev? You still there. I need a waypoint?"

~ "I'm still here blue. And I'm sorry to say? But I don't have a waypoint to the green people your looking for?" ~

"Oh? Then how am I supposed to find them?"

~ "Here. I'll send the com signal for the Lady Blake. She was sent ahead to the Gungans anyway. Just do your best to follow her vessel using that GPS I gave you. See. You can link up with her team later and move the mission forward. I'm sure she knows were she's going. Erm. Hows that sound?" ~

"Fine by me. See you soon Shev. Thanks again."

~ "My pleasure darling. Good hunting." ~

Roberts turned on her lights and descended into the cave formations. She would link up with Lady Blake's team when they reached the bottom.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Cira"], @[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

Here goes nothing, Siobhan thought. Obviously things could never be entirely easy. She looked puzzled at the revelation. "That's weird. You think these nobles are connected with the cultists somehow - or people connected with them spread the rumour?"

She frowned, thinking. "If Cultists are still here in cover, maybe they want to draw the Queen out to the assembly and assassinate her there."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

"There's something odd going on, for sure. I need to get out of this dress and get something more protective. And weapons, I need a weapon which actually does damage. You, soldier, get me to your armoury right now. Move!" she barked when he hesitated. She was sure Siobhan would make a quip at this point about her getting out of the dress.

"I'll meet you in the council chamber. Keep the Queen with you...something fishy is going on!"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Cira"], @[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

Tegs was indeed correct. On certain matters Siobhan's behaviour was quite predictable. "Eager to get out of your dress?" she quipped, in a low whisper so that only Tegs could hear she said. "You should wear it more often...privately."

She then turned to the guards as the royal party filed out. "We're not done yet. Her Majesty must be guarded. Until this matter is cleared up we're staying for her protection." The guards seemed to hesitate a bit, looking at their lieutenant. "Reinforce the guards at all exits. We're staying close by the Queen," she growled.

The lieutenant nodded. "They're offworlders, but if they wanted to betray us they would have done so long ago. They have a vested interest in Her Majesty staying on the throne, after all," he pointed out a bit snidely.

Finally some logic, Siobhan thought to herself and nodded. "Exactly," she said flatly and swiftly headed out to attach herself to the royal party, staying close by.

 

[Chloe Blake]

@[member="Jorus Merrill"] @[member="Karen Roberts"]

"Let's hope they don't feed us to the fish," she said in a light hearted manner, casting him a mildly amused expression at his derp manner of being optimistic. It was then she caught sight of his cowlick at the crown of his head, a small tuff that suggested bedhead. Amused and without conscious thought, Chloe leaned closer, extending her hand over to try and smooth it out.

"Should at least make ourselves a bit..." That was when she trailed off a bit, her the tips of her fingers running through his hair as she began to realize just how close this brought her over to him. Big blue eyes stared at his face as she continued, "... presentable..."

Ah, here it was again. That awkward awareness. The two of them. Alone. No half-zeltron baby. In a tiny sub with a picture panorama of a fantastic view. Their own little tête-à-tête moment.

At least until the submarine's sensor went off. That flashing red light nagged at them like a sudden parental glare.

"Titan, this is headquarters over," It was Shev. The sudden sound of the transmission was enough to cause Chloe to jerk back a bit. Good thing the red light kept on flashing; it gave her an excuse for the sudden onslaught of heat to her face.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

@[member="Chloe Blake"]
@[member="Karen Roberts"]

With a cough, Jorus broke away from the moment, and from some quality of her hair in the light of the ocean and its photoluminescent inhabitants. Not colour, not texture, just some...

Well, tangibility. Inescapable tangibility, as if she was the most real thing in the world. He toggled the comm system. "Headquarters, this is Titan -- what you got for us?"

"Lieutenant Roberts is on her way to join you with a second sub. Recommend you hang back to rendezvous."

"What's her ETA?"

"Maybe twenty minutes. She's carrying less weight."

"On Blake's behalf, I resent that. Thanks, headquarters. Titan out." The comm channel died, and Jorus slowed the submersible to a crawl. A whole cornucopia of luminous fish and plants stretched out before them.

"Roberts," he said absently. "You know much about her, Chloe?"

 

[Cira]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] @[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

"Why act now?" Cira mused aloud, following Tegaea after giving a nod to Siobhan at Tegaea's orders to stay close to the queen. "Why... now..." It didn't make sense. Then again, not much made sense with the Bando Gora.

"Normally they are more.." she kicked a corpse as they walked, more for emphasis, "Feral."

She turned to Tegaea, "It's almost too subtle for their tastes."

 

[Chloe Blake]

@[member="Jorus Merrill"]

With that joke, the awkwardness was gone. Chloe shot Jorus a half amused expression, then lightly smacked him on the shoulder. "I see what you did there!" the corners of her mouth turned up, settling again, against the chair. This time however, she drew her right knee up to her chest. It would be a bit before Karen rendezvous with them.

"Former Jedi of the Order," she said, frowning a bit as she mulled over what she knew. "She wasn't part of it when I was there... so I don't have much on her. Medical officer, right?" she shot him a questioning look, a bit in mockery as she teased him, "She is part of the Omega Defense Force like you!"

Chloe's attention drifted as she saw another fish lazily swam by the curve of the view port, almost as if without a care in the world --- Until a much bigger fish suddenly chomped on it.

"Well... that's a bad day in anyone's book."

 

[Jorus Merrill]

@[member="Chloe Blake"]
@[member="Karen Roberts"]

"Heh. Yeah, she's ODF, a rank below me, and yeah, she's a medical officer. Not sure how, not gonna lie. There aren't too many Jedi healers who put in the work to get qualified as a doctor or nurse or whatever. Getting certified as a medtech might be simple enough, I guess." He shrugged. "I'm sure whoever recruited her hammered it all out. Besides, we already had the Prex as our wizard, Ayden as our rogue and Kerrigan as our warrior -- the Omega Pyre team needed a healer." He snorted. "As if this was a hologame.

"And then there's us." Jorus squinted as a big fish ate a small fish. His stomach gurgled. "I took this job for the creds, y'know -- well, you knew how tight my funds were getting, running the less questionable cargoes for the Hutts. I never thought I'd see you sign on with an outfit like this, or any outfit at all, really."

He scratched the cowlick and steadfastly examined the spreading cloud of fish blood. The predator swam away. "T'tell the truth, part of me wonders if you signed up to stay close to me and the kid. I mean, you're the ultimate fine independent sort..."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"], @[member="Cira"], @[member="Allaina Mare"]

While Tegaea and Cira made their way into the armoury and pondered the question why the Bando Gora had acted with such unusual subtlety, Siobhan had moved into the council chambers, guarding the Queen and the royal party.

The hall had been reinforced with royal guards, armed sentinels patrolled the corridors leading to it. To say the situation was tense would be a gigantic understatement, it was sharp as any cortosis blade. The royal guards seemed glad that the Omega off-worlders were on their side, but wary as well. No doubt some were suspicious, but Siobhan ignored the looks. Having made sure that the exits were reinforced with guards she checked the council chambers for listening devices and booby traps.

With a certain justification one could say that she was too suspicious sometimes, but the news of the aristocrats convening and declaring the Queen after the Bando Gora assault had been repulsed so suddenly justified vigilance. Moreover, it gave her something to do. Siobhan hated just standing there and waiting for something to happen.

Having done her round she conferred with the Guard Captain, who was injured but unwilling to leave his troops. "Right. Double-checked security. What do we know about about these aristocrats meeting?"

The Guard Captain shot her a look, he clearly didn't willing discussing his country's politics with off-worlders, but they had helped and he had a job to do. "They're some of the highest in the Kingdom," he stated flatly. "Our reports say Count Sidon Alkibiades convened the assembly."

Siobhan frowned, considering. "Name rings a bell. He fought of the Blue Suns?"

"The Count comes from one of the oldest families on Naboo and used to be Governor of Theed. He doesn't want Naboo to be tied to off-worlders," the Captain responded gruffly. "We will do our duty for the Queen, but this is our world. You're here because she permitted it and you aided us."

"I need what info I can get on these aristos meeting. If this is a Bando Gora plot, as weird them being subtle, we gotta be ready. Your men ready to do what it takes?" she asked bluntly.

The Captain gave her a hard glare, then nodded. "Everyone in this palace will lay down their lives for Her Majesty. We won't bend to Bando Gora, traitors or even you."

A grim smile crept over Siobhan's lips and she nodded at that. "Splendid. Then we understand each other. Now let's get to..." Siobhan was about to finish her line when suddenly a uniformed aide rushed in, looking flustered and holding a datapad.

"Sir...," he gasped, looking from the Captain to Siobhan and then back again. "The assembly has..."

"Spit it out already," Siobhan growled, just when the Captain had wanted to do so. The aide handed the datapad to the officer, who face reddened with anger before he looked at Siobhan.

"Well?" she demanded impatiently.

"Count Alkibiades has declared that Her Majesty was brutally ambushed and murdered...by Omega. The assembly is in session. His supporters are calling on all citizens to rise up."

Siobhan clenched her bionic hand. "Just when things weren't complicated enough," she grunted, activating her comm to call Tegs and Cira. "We have a problem. Aristos declared we killed the Queen."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea had just returned in a set of ill-fitting combat armour and a blaster rifle. She missed the weight of her bolt gun, and the security of her armour, but this would have to do.

"Patently absurd, we have the Queen here," Tegaea retorted. Let's go meet these aristocrats.

When they reached the assembly hall the people gathered were in a froth. They did settle down slightly when they saw the Queen following them. Count Alkibiades however didn't seem intimidated.
"Murderers! These off-worlders have killed the Queen! This is an impostor!"
Tegaea glared at the man. "You seem remarkably certain, especially when I have the Captain of the Guard here who saw everything unfold. We came here to meet the Queen, and were ambushed by the Bando Gora, and managed to save her Highness."
"Ah yes, the Bando Gora. A cult of death worshippers who somehow have spread across the galaxy. We have dismissed that claim! They seem to appear just when you need them. No, this is all a ploy by the off worlders to gain control over us!"
Tegaea was silenced by the sheer stupidity...or possibly plagiarism..of this fool.
The Queen would do well to speak up now.

 

[Jsc]

@[member="Chloe Blake"] @[member="Jorus Merrill"]

Roberts was a pilot. And with the Force to guide her, she was a dang good pilot too. Twenty minutes would become fifteen. Her screen again presented the current location of Blake's vessel via her linked com unit. They weren't far off now.

 

[Qae Shena]

@[member="Cira"] @[member="Tegaea Alcori"] @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Allaina was listening on their comm lines; she could hear everything transpiring and karking hell was this the dumbest thing she'd ever heard. Literally she hated dealing with these people... bloody aristocrats. She keyed her comm.

"I can send an Argevant down to you right now no problem. It's not going to have escort or anything, but it's the best I can do, given the circumstances. Sounds like they don't want an escalation at all and anything we do could be treated as an act of war, right now," Allaina said, reminding them of their precarious position. "Way I see it we have two immediate choices. I can send you reinforcements, or I can send you some supplies in the form of weaponry and equipment with a small team. I don't think you'll have air support for this one unless you want Naboo to kick us out."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea heard @[member="Allaina Mare"]'s words and spoke quickly. "Bring down an unarmed transport with a medical team and some weapons. If they want to use them they can. We can't have us being accused of threatening these people. They're touchy enough as it is!"

The Queen stepped forward to face Count Alkibiades. "I am the Queen, and your accusations and insinuations are false. I have not been murdered by these off-worlders. Rather, I was saved by them. Would you condemn them for saving my life?"
The Count looked confused, as though something wasn't adding up. "I am glad to see your Majesty is alive and well," he said, though didn't look like he meant it.

Tegaea was starting to get a suspicion about this whole event. It seemed too much of a setup to be real.
"@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], I need you to go to the Count's house and discover what he's up to. I suspect he brought the Bando Gora here so he could take over the crown once she was dead," she whispered.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Cira"], @[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

And so I get stuck with stealth duty, Siobhan thought to herself but nonetheless nodded obediently and moved to leave the Assembly building. The Queen was evidently staying, trying to calm the unnerved, apprehensive and in some cases no doubt ambitious aristocrats. Count Alkibiades hung behind as well, making declarations of loyalty before disappearing into a corridor, surrounded by guards and the usual hangers-on any person of power seemed to attract.

While this happened Siobhan left and soon headed back towards the palace. The vast mansion of Count Alkibiades was close by the palace, a sign of his influence and power. No doubt it was a fascinating trip through Theed, but suffice to say she soon came close to the walls that surrounded the building.

Timing her moves as she heard noise coming from outside, she pressed herself against the wall and then leapt into the air, the Force propelling her upward so that she could grab ahold of it. Beneath her was a vast garden filled with various trees and flowers, guards were on patrol.

She looked down as a guard marched past her, then suddenly grabbed ahold of his head between her thighs, squeezing and twisting hard. The guard gasped and tried to struggle, but as she swung down from the wall she choked the life out of him. Now on the ground she quickly removed his armour and donned it, her face covered by a visored helmet after she had wiped away the blood, hiding the body in a rose bush.

Thus equipped Siobhan made her way through the garden towards the house. As anyone who had watched spy movies knew, once you were inside people tended to assume you belonged there! She passed other guards and various servants as she walked through the front door, showing her papers on the way. Apparently most of the staff was with the Count at the assembly, which worked to her advantage.

Now, where was his room again? The inside of the building had all the luxury one could imagine. Before anyone could question her she had quickly taken a turbolift upward to level five.

As the lift opened she was greeted by a guard, who scrutinised her critically. "What are you doing? You're not authorised to be in this section." He reached for his comm, but Siobhan was faster and landed a hook line punch against his jaw.

A security camera turned towards her and quickly a purple bolt of ionised energy shot from her fingertips, deactivating it. In the same moment she heard the the fallen guard's comm crackle. "Sergeant, situation report!"

Alright, time to move on. Her lightsabre quickly flew into her hand and with it she burnt open the appliance and cut the cables that controlled the lift, hearing noise coming from downstairs.

Then she dashed towards the door of the count's private room. There was a retinal scanner but a strike from her lightsabre shredded the lock. Inside she started tearing the vast and luxurious room apart, even cutting open a safe, but the Count did not oblige her by leaving a datapad in it.

Finally her eyes fell upon the holocom unit and she activated, going through recent messages. Apparently he had forgotten to delete them all. Maybe because it was the new unit that allowed one to save double as many messages.

She could hear boots coming up the stairs...as two-day old message played...

 

[Chloe Blake]

@[member="Karen Roberts"] @[member="Jorus Merrill"]

Oh he had to ask that didn't he?

The why?

It was something she was considering herself. Why did she join up alongside Jorus? She was never one for settling down with one specific government entity. She wasn't too overly fond of the Order either. For her, there had always been the spacelanes and the peace her bohemian wanderings gave her.

Something about Chloe will always cling to her gypsy was, that was something one could not completely take away from the Warden of the Sky. She lived, breathed, and operated in the sky; she was always constantly moving. Constantly discovering new planets, new cultures, the wonders that the galaxy had to offer. She was a living legend as a Warden, and she too enjoyed coming face to face with the objects of lore, myths, and spacer tall tales.

This is who Chloe was at her core. Jorus knew it well.

She never thought that would change, and while she still was who she was... something had.

There was never really a place she could concretely call home. She often traveled on the Aurora, but she was just as happy crewing on a liner. Her granddaddy's farm that nostalgic warmth she often went to indulge; like an old blanket that you'd just love to wrap yourself around with. Comfy. Warm.

Chloe slowly turned her head to face Jorus, watching him quietly for a moment with those big blue eyes of hers. A ghost of a smile lingered on her lips, around them, another school of bioluminescent fish swam by.

Why?

She caught sight of Jorus's cybernetic blue-green eyes, perfectly matching the hue of what had once been organic. How he'd trusted her choice. She recalled how they met, their scattered brushes for years before they met again. How'd he'd taken her to the Hapan Masquarade, held her hand and asked if she'd like to travel the galaxy with him. To have that companionship.

From there she thought over the hidden glances; the conversations conveyed with only an expression. How'd she'd come to read him; seen his sorrows, his joy, his pain, his burdens. She remembered that heavy sensation she felt when he'd told her about the baby... and the awe and joy at carrying her months after.

He'd become more to her than she'd dare say aloud. Couldn't. Wouldn't. It might change things. It causes her to taste for the first time a measure of fear. She didn't want to risk that.

But he'd become so much more to her. Take away the ship. The wandering. Wetting she'd done alone that she didn't wave to so alone anymore. And not just the loss of companionship - she could get that crewing - but the fact she didn't want to wander the spacelanes without him and the baby...


Yes she was a gypsy. Yes, this charge with the Omega Protectorate was odd for her. At the very least, she is still able to keep a level of independence, no rank involved, and simply could crew every now and then wherever they needed her. She too, could see the benefit in protecting the hyperlanes as she often had, only with a bigger enterprise. It wouldn't stop her from being who she was... but that wasn't the point...

He'd asked her why.


There was so much she could say, her visage an ever changing expressive picture of what she thought. Her teeth lightly began nibbling on her lower lip once, before the smile drew up over her face softly, as she simply began to say,

"Because you're --"

It was then that a an enormous shadow swept over the submarine's profile, the fish that had taken it's dinner earlier suddenly snapped up in the much larger jaws. Jaws with teeth the size of a toddler half-zeltron baby... if there were three dozen of them.

Jaws that were quick to turn to the submarine for a meal after it's appetizer.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

The hologram was short, but was pretty damning.
"The attack is in position. The Queen will be ours, and then you will grant us what we desire. Then you may be King. We care not."

It was rather fortuitous. The cultists didn't seem the sort to muck around. Even more interestingly this proof was placed there in such a way that it was easily accessible....

The door behind her opened. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" It was a young noblewoman holding a blaster.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"]
Siobhan stared at the hologram as the damning evidence was played out before her. Count Alkibiades was clearly a prick and could use a beating for being so dumb to dismiss claims. But while Siobhan was hardly the sharpest lightsabre in the Omega Tower, she had a suspicious mind and its placement seemed all too convenient.

If I were a pompous jackass and allied with a bunch of mad cultists to take over, where would I hide the evidence? she wondered. Wouldn't I destroy it or put it some place safe? A valid question indeed, but maybe Alkibiades had not read the Evil Overlord List.

She quickly inserted a datapad into the holocom unit, copying the message. Her musings were interrupted by the appearance of the young noblewoman. Under normal circumstances this would have been the moment for Siobhan to seduce th laddy but, alas, she had a job to do.

"I'm awesome," she quipped. That stupid helmet just had to shield her face. At a gesture the blaster flew out of the noblewoman's hand and towards Siobhan. Untroubled by the sound of heavy boots on the stairs, she removed the datapad.

"My apologies, milady. Normally I'd more than make up for intruding on your privacy, but I have a planet to save." As the first guards came runing up, blasters at the ready, she dashed forward and jumped through the glass window, using telekinesis to control her quick descent.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

@[member="Chloe Blake"]
@[member="Karen Roberts"]

Jorus's eyes flicked away from Chloe in the middle of her sentence, courtesy of a twinge in his gut which had nothing to do with her words. His hands flickered over the controls with preternatural speed, surprising even to him. The submersible whirled away. Infant-sized teeth clashed, yielding more shockwave than noise.

Finish that sentence, said a voice inside him, maybe strong enough for her to hear. He clamped it down, dancing the sub through rock formations and clouds of fish.

"Ain't no fething way I'm letting Roberts catch up while we're like this," he groused. The sub slipped through a tiny gap, letting the gigantic Sando bash itself against the rocks. It would go around, and maybe catch up. He grimaced and toggled the comms.

"Jorus Merrill to @[member="Karen Roberts"] -- if you're getting close, you should know that there's some Sando Aqua Monster activity in the area. We've given the big one the brushoff, but it might still be looking for a date. Watch your back."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Arguing was all that these nobles apparently did. Right now they were arguing with each other, the Queen was looking on irritably, and Tegaea was barely restraining an impulse to strangle the lot of them. It was likely just as well she didn't have her bolter with her....

She waited for Siobhan to return. She wasn't sure how she was going to use this evidence without admitting she'd broken into the Count's house. Either way....