Faction On the Beach of Dreams; Another World [Darkwire & Friends]

[Kadora'Tra]

​

"Uhhh, are you serious?" Kadora'Tra groaned to no one in particular as she brought a hand up to her now throbbing head. Suffice to say, she did not expect her baton to spontaneously fail, and get knocked on her ass by some teenager. The crowds were going nuts, disorganized, and hostile to anyone that wasn't in their vacation-going party. At least, as far as she could tell from her vantage point belly first into the sand.

I'm going to be tasting sand for a month. She thought to herself, rising herself to her feet. Static was in her ear, and after batting at her ear for a few times, it went away and she could hear the voice of Kyle trying to communicate.

"..-'Tra! Luminous Sun is here! Come in!" A scowl appeared over the Farghul's face. What is she doing here?

"Why didn't you stop her?!" She growled in frustration, and Kyle said something in protest but she distinctly stopped listening. She had bigger problems than his excuses... however valid they were or not. Right now, her focus was on a man ( Gray Venasir ) running and looking right at her, and on the group of thugs surrounding the girl ( Brie Jaxx , Aren D'Shade , Daiya , Ruby Jaxx , et al.). She saw them arming themselves, and they were challenging the security personnel that arrived, who were looking particularly nervous. They were paid to break up drunken patrons involved in fisticuffs, not to put down the seeds of rebellion. If this had been a real contingent of CorpSec, she would have been less concerned about their chances of escape, but between the stamped of uninvolved civilians and "mall cops" she had a very real chance of losing them.

With Luminous Sun looming just over the horizon of her future, her odds were quickly dwindling...

Half a mind told her to cut her loses, go back and sniff out where that woman landed and take her for questioning. The other half was furious over potentially losing her quarry, and the strong emotions it developed in her drove her to pursue, leaving the baton discarded behind her. She was claws out and teeth barred, not caring about the damage she would be doing if she caught any of them. Fear of failure turned her into an animal.

 

[Zo'i Prihm]

Not Everything Is as It Seems

How was she supposed to prove herself when she didn't even know why she was there? What did Luminous Sun and Rhé want from her? Why her at all? Zo'i was just some impulsive kid. Most of the time, referring to herself as a kid would make her bristle. But for an impulse that Zo'i couldn't quite understand, she wanted to impress Lumi. She wanted to make Rhé proud. But a kid was what she was. And the teen didn't understand why she felt so much pressure to achieve something. Or why she felt like she had to give Lumi and Rhé some tangible evidence that she really was trying to be more than just a kid.

Bodies jostled like water in front of her, and as Zo'i wasn't tall enough to see over most of the people, she almost felt like she was drowning. The only thing that allowed her to move forward was the frequent glimpses of her caretaker, Rhéala Aleyv. The lithe form of the tall woman cut through the crowd with such ease as if Rhé was doing the most relaxed of swimming strokes. But as easy as it seemed, Rhé's movement also carried purpose. The woman was always so sure of herself, always so confident in her decisions and actions and words. Maybe that was the reason why Zo'i had come to admire this person who had pledged to teach Zo'i the ways of the galaxy.

After what felt like hours but could probably have only been minutes, the woman and girl broke free of the crowd of frantic bodies. Zo'i found herself gasping for air in relief, even though she had been managing to breathe alright before. The Zeltron took a moment to observe her surroundings. The two had managed to cross the main thoroughfare of the resort district's shopping plazas to the boardwalk-esque area surrounding the beaches and water features. The main source of the commotion was plainly evident, a group of insurgents Lumi had called "Darkwire" were engaged with the familiar uniformed personages resembling CorpSec officers.

How the heck did Luminous Sun manage to make her entrance right where the action was unfolding? The coincidence was unbelievable. Before Zo'i had time to dwell on that thought, Rhé's voice pierced through the fog of her mind. "You remember what Luminous said?" Rhéala asked.

Zo'i looked up at her mentor. For the first time ever, Zo'i saw a look of nervousness coming off of her caretaker. No one else would see it. But Zo'i, having lived with Rhé for a few months, could tell. More questions tried to bury themselves into her mind but she had more important things to worry about. Specifically, the group of people ( Daiya | Aren D'Shade | Brie Jaxx | Ruby Jaxx | Gray Venasir ) running at them and all of the CorpSec guards everywhere, including one annoyingly familiar Captain.

Mimicking the determination she had seen Rhé adopt many times, Zo'i gave a strong nod and set herself to the job given to her. As Rhé moved off, Zo'i kept her focus forward. She had to do a good job. She had to impress Lumi. She had to make Rhé proud. She had to prove that she was capable.

With long, confidents steps she moved to block the path of the charging Farghulian. "Halt! Captain Kadora'Tra . By order of Luminous Sun, DireX of the Corporate Authorities of Denon, you are charged to cease operations immediately." She did not know if the woman would stop her charge. The look of rage was evident on the face of the feline being.

But if there was one skill that Zo'i had, that skill was persuasion. She had never tried to be forceful before. But this was no time to question herself. She put every ounce of her will into her words. "I. Said! Halt!!"

as Rhéala Aleyv​

Rhé split off, making for the guards blocking the exit and the group of Darkwire agents attempting to break through. She didn't look back at Zo'i. Sure, she was worried about the girl. She knew she had gotten too close, again. But it was too late for second thoughts. And it was too late to wonder whether or not Zo'i could handle herself. This plan needed to work. They both needed to play their parts.

The CorpSec guards were easy. They would not dare question the orders of a DireX member. They would stand down because they had no choice. Rhéala was a direct representative of Luminous Sun and her credentials would carry that weight. Simply flashing her holoid was enough to make them stand down, but she did not tell them to stand aside. The guards were still uneasy, unsure as to what might unfold. But Rhé needed to speak with these Darkwire people. They were necessary.

"Zenitha Chuma, former Governor-Heiress of Belazura. You are... not under arrest. By order of Luminous Sun, you are hereby granted refugee status and are awarded sanctuary until such time as any false charges against you have been voided or resolved. Please. Come with me. And allow me to take you somewhere safe."

Moar tags for other beach-goers: Chelara "Chel" DuCote | Ayreon | Talohn Atar | Cassus Akovin​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

''Cassus!!''

"Boy..."​

"Just walk away."​

Cassus heard their calls, or misheard their words, his eyes scanning through the crowd frantically, trying to find his mother in the sand. They were calling for him, needing him. How could he walk away? Spending his entire life looking up to his mother, taking every opportunity he had to save her no matter the cost, how could he walk away?

"I. Said! Halt!!"

He stopped moving, as did a great number of people surrounding him, he looked behind him, away from where his mother had been, seeing the confrontation between the cat woman and some pink girl. At first the hostile female seemed a bit dazed, and then she became angry all over again.

"What?! She incited a panic and blew up a building! I'm well within jurisdiction. Diviak Manfloon wants her, and as his personal Captain, I will deliver her!" The Captain resisted, standing up out of her formerly animal-like stance, pointing at Zenitha. The pink one bristled, but seemed prepared for this challenge.

"She is a political refugee, displaced by the Corporate Authorities efforts to incorporate this world into its governing body." Confidence oozed from her.

"This document," The girl raised a pad which projected scrolling legal text. "Is an application for obtaining refugee status, ratified by 3 of the DireX members. By majority ruling, the girl's rights are protected by the Corporate Authorities."

"Bantha crap. Diviak owns this world, and while I won't disobey an order from Luminous Sun, I get my directives from him, not the board." Cassus could see the hair on her body bristling with anger.

"You will hear of this!" The Farghul screeched as she seemed to run back towards Cassus. For a moment, the boy was confused. Why was he standing here? A number of the other guests seemed to be thinking more or less the same thing, novelty of halting their movement seeming to wear off. In moments, the cat-woman was a blur that passed him, and weaved through the crowd gracefully.

That's when he saw her again, his mother carried by two security guards. The furry captain reached them and began to direct them towards a hallway he couldn't see off of the beach.

"No!" He cried, but was pushed back by the crowd now rushing back to what they were doing. However, as much as he wanted to pursue... he knew at this point, it was too late. Without his armor or weapons, he was vulnerable, and being away from his friends, surrounded by odds he didn't like taking the chance on trying to beat. Sullenly, and defeated, the boy rejoined the group with Daiya , Aren D'Shade , Brie Jaxx , and the rest.

OOC: Permission granted by Zo'i Prihm to use her dialogue

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Relax, socialise and enjoy​

Seeing people not involved in this chaos disperse one by one and leave for the resort facilities, Brie considered her options.

Cassus was lost in the crowds, desperately searching for his mother. Clubbed to the ground by the corpos, she was probably captured, or worse...

Gray and the young dark haired woman was confronting some corpos, delaying their efforts to reach the group of teens with Tawrro the wookie serving as close protection.

Brie observed Zo'i as she positioned herself in the way of the charging CorpSec captain. She was alone. That was not good. She trew a glance back at the others by the exit, Daiya and Tawrro threatening the guards and demanding them to step down, as was the woman that had accompanied Zo'i before. They seemed to handle themselves good enough.

Again looking forward, she stepped up behind Zo'i and took her side, staring and frowning at the Farghulian. She were taking a big risk. They both were, but hopefully Zo'i could influence the captain to cease this feral hunt for a child.

Cassus Akovin , Aren D'Shade , Daiya , Zo'i Prihm , Talohn Atar , Ruby Jaxx , Rann Thress , Kadora'Tra , Chelara "Chel" DuCote , Ayreon, Gray Venasir​

 

[Daiya]

N O T • E V E R Y T H I N G • I S • A S • I T • S E E M S

The last time Daiya had come to Belazura, it had been to do harm. Naïve and unaware of her power in the process, her involvement led to the Corporate Authorities seizing power with no recourse for the actions that Diviak Manfloon was now taking upon the world's population and its natural beauty. She had helped the Corpos win, and it wasn't just her friend's future that would suffer for it. Eventually, even well-hidden facilities and high-quality marketing campaigns would have their truths revealed, and all of Belazura would suffer.

Having witnessed a fraction of the evils wrought upon the planet already, she vowed never to take part in their exploitation again. Standing beside Zenie, whose emboldened vid and fiery presence today had made her a target, Daiya made another vow never to stop supporting her. Zenie was as much a symbol as a victim now, and she was going to need help to get others on her side. Today's campaign to raise awareness had caught attention, but even the teen could see that there was a long road ahead of them before Belazura was beyond the Corpos' nefarious clutches.

Well, it was easy to paint all the Corpos with a single brush from a distance.

It wasn't quite as easy when one was standing before them, claiming that another DireX was countermanding CorpSec's vicious march towards Zenie's capture. Daiya looked at her friend, who mirrored back her confused expression. She didn't understand what was happening now. Was this woman's message genuine? Manipulative?

Daiya preferred to lean towards the latter today.

She had been fooled before when it came to Zenie's future. Taking a contract to get close to the governor's daughter for a day, it had seemed like easy credits at the time. In another life, Daiya could have seen a chance for the two of them to be good friends, without this weird tension in-between them. But the girl didn't care about her social standing in this moment, she cared about Zenie's safety.

"You don't have to go with her, Zenie," Daiya told her friend in a low voice, leaning in so that the Corpo representative couldn't hear them. "We just have to make it out these doors, then we can go to Aren's place and be safe until we can get off-world again."

"I don't want to keep running..." the little heiress turned her face up toward Daiya, glancing over at Aren, and Tawrro, then back over at the new woman and their CorpSec adversaries. Daiya couldn't sense what her friend was feeling, Zenie could be been sizing up their situation or just scared by the daunting uncertainty with either choice. The young Darkwire agent couldn't blame Zenie for feeling bad choices all around her, Daiya had been in those shoes not too long ago herself.

A hairy mass of Wookiee leaned down, offering a low growl of advice. Tawrro had been listening to their exchange, and his strategic mind pointed out another angle. Daiya folded her arms in response. "Yeah, but even if Ms. Sun has more resources to use, I don't trust her. She's a Corpo, she has her own agenda, too." To make it simpler for Zenie, the girl added, "I don't want to see you be another pawn for them."

"Again, you mean." The blonde-haired heiress was astute, leading Tawrro to give a small chuckle before nodding his big head in a sage manner. Daiya gave him a long look, the Wookiee had once been an elder for his people, maybe she shouldn't be so quick to dismiss his advice anyway. Even if she had been exposed to the power dynamics of Denon's corporate oppressors since long before they called themselves Authorities. The girl gave Zenie a curt nod as well, prompting another thoughtful look from the Belazuran tween. Then a sigh.

"I appreciate the offer," Zenie said to the Corporate woman, and then gestured to the exit doors and the CorpSec officers standing nervously in front of them. The voice the young heiress put on was different than normal, Daiya noted, and even different from how she spoke in the holo-vid. It sounded far more grown up and professional than the Zenie she knew. "And your intervention here. But I'm safe with my friends already."

Rhé's previously soft features and sweet disposition hardened and soured. "Your friends will not be able to help you. Not for long. Without the protection I am offering you, there will be no end to those who would imprison you. They will continue their pursuit here indefinitely. If you manage to leave the world they will continue their pursuit there. We will have no power to stop them if you continue to run and act like you're a guilty criminal." She spat out those last words with intended vitriol. "I don't just offer you protection. I also offer you a chance to gain legitimacy. To once more fight for you people in a legal way that won't get you hunted for the rest of your life."

Daiya found herself scowling at the woman for her verbal lashing. She had worked with Sun before, and knew the woman was exacting. But never had she realized the extent of the DireX' entitlement. The teen felt heat growing under her collar, an anger creeping into her voice as she blurted out, "Look, how about you do us all a favor and cut the shaak chit?" Daiya hadn't been planning on cutting in to the conversation, but she couldn't let the arrogance stand unanswered. She knew exactly what angle Sun had here, because it was the same one the young Darkwire agent had when she brought Zenie to Denon herself. "None of us are under any illusion that Sun is a bastion of trustworthiness, no Corpo is. She's just looking for another weapon against her enemy, who happens to be the same enemy that we have right now."

"So let's be real. Sun doesn't need a partner, she needs a pawn. An icon she can use in her fight. Well, Zenie is your icon, but you're going to need more than some tough words to get her cooperation. Tell your boss that Daiya T'aemin is ensuring her safety, Sun knows who I am and what I've done for her." Daiya turned for a moment to grab a comlink from Tawrro's sash, one of the disposable ones he kept there. She tossed it over to the woman, indicating it as she added, "And that we'll contact you to meet, at a time and place of our choosing."

Rhé wanted to bite back. Who did this hypocritical little girl think she was? Like Darkwire hadn't just turned Zenitha into an icon of their own with that video? The only difference was a matter of resources. Darkwire could do nothing but fight for survival. But Luminous Sun could shut CorpSec down and protect Zenie indefinitely. The comm landed in the sand just in front of Rhé. For a moment, she thought about not picking it up. She thought about ordering the CorpSec guards to apprehend Zenitha Chuma and force the girl into Sun's offered protective custody.

But then, a scanning glance caught Zo'i and her attention diverted. The girl was standing up nicely for herself, against a CorpSec captain, with the confidence that she was in the right. A corner of her lips turned up in a smile, proud of the little girl. That same confident defiance was all that this Daiya was displaying. Rhé was about to respond when Zo'i shouted, and Rhé felt an emotion she couldn't explain wash over her. It made her pause as if she had no choice. But in the moment after she regained her senses. Rhé knew she had to get both of them out of there as fast as possible.

"Do what you think is right," Rhéala said as she bent over to pick up the commlink. "But know that you will not know peace until you accept our offer. And please, for your sake, do not delay. Do not think that your cause is more important than the life of a child." She then pivoted and ran to Zo'i.

Daiya seethed in place, letting her eyes follow the Corporate woman as she ran off. She should have felt the thrill of victory, but all the girl had in her was anger and exhaustion. It made sense to her, now, how some of the older Darkwire operatives could hate the Corpos in their very bones. Her eyes burned a hole through the back of the woman's retreating form for a few moments, and it wasn't until she felt Tawrro's large, hairy hand on her shoulder that Daiya realized it.

She jolted away, ducking out from under the Wookiee's grip while her head snapped back to glare at him. If Tawrro was surprised by her unkind look, he didn't show it, but simply growled a calm instruction to move forward. That only frustrated Daiya more. The interaction had left a hole inside her, one the girl didn't know how to fill without putting a hole in someone else. Her gaze moved away from Tawrro, someone she'd never dream of hurting, onto the two CorpSec guards still standing nervously at the doors.

They didn't stand there long after that.

It didn't matter to Daiya if it was on instructions from their superior or by the force of her expression that they abandoned their post, but suddenly the exit was clear for them. If she could leave Belazura without inflicting more harm, some part of her knew, it would be better for everyone.

"Let's get out of here," she growled, almost spitting the words out. Tawrro seemed pleased by the intentions, while Zenie still seemed nervous. The way was clear now, and the Corporate woman had withdrawn according to their demands, what more was there to be nervous about? Daiya glanced around, watching the faces of her allies, before she realized that the answer was herself.

The girl let out a long breath, and it was as if her rage left along with it. A sudden sadness came over her, mired in feelings of guilt for scaring her own friend so badly. "I'm okay." She wasn't sure if those words were meant to reassure her friends or herself. Daiya repeated the affirmation after a slight re-framing, "We're fine."

Looking back to Zenie, Daiya gave her friend an earnest grin and offered out her hand. "Now, let's keep it that way."

F I N​

OOC: Zo'i Prihm gave permission for the use of Rhé's character and dialogue.

 

[Zo'i Prihm]

...Epilogue...

Not Everything Is as It Seems

I did it!

"You did what?!"

Zo'i's internal exhalation was interrupted by the harsh words of Luminous Sun. But, surprisingly to the young Zeltron, the words were not directed to her. Instead, Sun's fury was directed towards Rhéala.

"I let Zenitha go," Rhé repeated her prior response. She seemed calm despite the daggers being glared in her direction from the DireX.

Looking back and forth between her guardian and her guardian's employer, Zo'i found herself feeling pretty proud of her accomplishment. She had successfully stopped a CorpSec Captain dead in their tracks. With their pursuit thwarted, Rhé was supposed to get Zenitha to Lumi's speeder and then they'd make for a shuttle, then up to orbit Lumi's big karkin' ship and then zip back to Denon. Instead, the three were sitting in the speeder, and Lumi had yet to give instructions on where to go. She was too busy trying to strangle Rhéala with her eyeballs.

"Please tell me you have an explanation." The entertainment mogul's words were as Zo'i remembered them earlier, dipped in threats like ice cream into a candy shell.

Rhé didn't fidget. She didn't break eye contact. She spoke lightly, with determination, confidently. "She was accompanied by several Darkwire agents..."

"I know that, I put them there!" Lumi interrupted, her simmering anger reaching a boil as she shouted.

But Rhé continued as if her superior hadn't even spoken, her tone unfazed. "...Who were insistent that she would be safe with them for the time being. The Chuma heiress seemed unwilling to part with them. I hope that by acquiescing to her wishes to remain with her friends, she will be more inclined to trust us and seek us out. CorpSec will only be delayed for a day, maybe more, until they begin pursuing them again. She will be forced to seek us out within the week."

For a few moments, the three were silent. Lumi's vicious stare was unabated. Rhéala's cool demeanor brushed off Lumi's fire. And Zo'i was content to observe the two, feeling good about being ignored for once. Then Lumi tapped on the screen that separated the cab from the cockpit of the speeder. The window slid open. "Take us to the Hoseki-Lux Belazura. Inform the hotelier to expect us and have the penthouse suite prepared." An affirmative came back in response. The screen closed and Zo'i could feel the speeder rise on its repulsorlifts and then rocket off. Luminous Sun seemed to relax, but only a hair. "Fine. We'll wait a week then. We can observe the fallout for Diviak's business venture into my arena in the meantime. If Zenitha Chuma does not appear by week's end, you will pay for whatever losses your ineptitude incurs."

No response came from Rhé. But Zo'i could somehow sense that Rhé was indifferent to the threats being aimed her direction, as if she was resolved about something that Zo'i couldn't determine.

"Zo'i."

The teen's attention immediately picked up and returned to Luminous Sun. "Y-yes?"

A wickedly pleasant smile creased Lumi's face. "I hear congratulations are in order for you. It seems that despite your best efforts, you are starting to... learn. Great power awaits you if you continue to follow me. I assure you."

None of what the executive said sounded like a compliment. But still, Zo'i felt obligated to respond with: "Thank you."

"But," Lumi's words seemed to still be for Zo'i, but her gaze returned to Rhéala. "Don't ever cross me. Or you will see my power."