Other things to do

[Coren Starchaser]

He’d been spending a lot of non-mission time working on mapping this area. The Alliance’s sphere of influence was on the otherside of the galaxy, but that didn’t matter to Coren. If he was in a ship, he could handle anything that came at him. And for the mean time, there was a lot of work that was waiting for the right moment. Nemo Ven was moving the fleet around, and the Grand Marshal and other Jedi had gone to one of those galactic Jedi conventions.

They had offered Coren to come, but he didn’t quite trust it. With the groups that were going from the Alliance? He would be better to stay away from the convention. He also figured that the Jedi didn’t do it right, probably no keg stands and scavenger hunts between the days of the meeting.

And there was always the chance each group could take their resident dark sider with them, something Starchaser was not too pleased about. If the Jedi were going to get any traction in this galaxy, they needed to do it right. That meant they needed to play hard ball and re-educate those who used the forces of the dark side to get their ends. It was possible to be both a light sider and someone who was a force to be reckoned with.

Coming in under false transponders, Coren had made his way to Csilla, taking the long way and using the not-yet-fully-developed ‘Blood Trail’ to make his way around the back side of the Sith Empire. They were going to down, but he had a few things to take care of.

Returning to Csilla after the defeat he experienced was something unexpected, but with the Tachyon Rising, under the false name of the Phalanx Seven, he was almost excited. The pilot stepped from his ship. See? He had better things to do.

And there were the Alliance men and women on this planet he needed to speak to, as well as the Chiss, to upgrade his ship’s weaponry.

 

[Chaf’anta’natrano]

Chaf’anta’natrano the Aristocra of House Chaf on Sarvchi had been biding her time, just waiting for the right moment to put the wheels in motion. As the Imperial Governor of Csilla, Cryax Bane had not been seen at Chiss Parliament in the last month, this seemed to the Chiss ruler be an opportune moment. A moment to set things ablaze.

When Csilla was taken by the Sith, was the Republic any help? No. In fact, they added insult to injury by sending rebels to plague the planet with attacks on Chiss infrastructure. Fantana was wary of the Galactic Alliance. She'd heard countless false promises from lightsiders before, yet the One Sith still stayed firmly rooted on Csilla, to the acute anger of the Chiss people. Fool me once, shame on you, ect cetera. The ruling families had their share of Sith supporters, of course. Fantana played the role of one herself, and put on a very good show of it. She hoped the day would soon come that she could take a final bow.

She was meeting [member="Coren Starchaser"] of the Galactic Alliance at the Chiss Expedionary Library, deep underground. Dressed in the traditional yellow and grey robes of her house she waited for the pilot at a large round table in the center of the main floor. Her security team, now sweeping the builiding, had cleared out the library beforehand and closed it off to the public. Fantana's meeting with Starchaser would be as private as it could be.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Starchaser had lived among the Sith for a bit of time. He enjoyed their no-nonsense attitude about the galaxy. They were focused and knew what they needed out of life and how to get it. He could easily respect the members of this species. Hell, most of the time he tried to emulate them. No attachments, or if there were attachments, you sure as hell didn’t let them get in the way of the mission. It was why he hadn’t gone to Yavin, he wasn’t sure he could bite his tongue hard enough around all the Jedi to actually allow anything to get accomplished.

And the Jedi needed something to happen, or this galaxy was screwed.

Csilla was a world that was second to his heart, followed by Corellia. But with the latter being broken, he couldn’t do much for it. Freeing Csilla, though, that would be something he could do to protect the world. His ship had his astromech on it, and Porter was making contact with local resistance cells that should be on the planet while Coren was going to meet with one Aristocra. He had reason to be here, obviously, and speaking to someone who could help him?

That was useful.

Making his way to the lift, the pilot was in perhaps the dressiest he got that wasn’t military uniform. He’d meet her where she told him, and he did make his way as best he could, without picking up a tail.

[member="Chaf’anta’natrano"]

 

[Chaf’anta’natrano]

Starchaser was less scruffy than that day she'd traveled to Sullust to find out more about the Galactic Alliance. The man cleaned up well for a human. She gave him the barest of smiles as he approached her.

"Coren Starchaser," she said, her voice low, blue-skinned hands folded behind her back. Fantana wasn't much of a hand shaker. "It is good to see you again. I don't know if we've officially met, but I am Chaf’anta’natrano the Aristocra of House Chaf." She knew that the human lacked the vocal chords necessary to correctly pronounce her name, so the Aristocra added, "You may call me Fantana."

Fan knew the pilot had ties to Csilla, but wasn't too clear on the details. Either way, he seemed to share the same acute desire as she: to free Csilla from the iron grip of the One Sith. She could be executed for having this conversation with Starchaser, but it was a risk she was willing to take.

"Forgive me if my hopes are not high right now. After the Galactic Republic turned its back on Csilla, and funded a terrorist attack, cynicism is rampant among the Chiss people. That being said, I wanted to let you know that I'm willing to do anything to assure that red banners no longer fly in the Csilla Parliament. Please let me know what House Chaf can do to help the Galactic Alliance free our world."

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

He knew he’d passed Fantana a few times, an Aristocra was an important fixture in the Chiss, and they were always helping their people as best as they could. If she had made her way to Sullust, it was because she was looking for something specific. And if Coren wasn’t explicitly told he was part of that, he would give the Chiss a wide berth, to let them get on with their mission. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Sith, it was just that mucking up their operations was not an intelligent move.

Coren was here as a rep of the Alliance, but also here on official Underground business. Or as official as that could get. His ship had weapons and equipment that would only be revealed to the person with the proper codes to the ship. Porter, his astromech, would understand who the people were, and the weapons would be distributed. Unlike the Rebels, the Underground worked in more subtle ways. It would become a rebellion, but when the time was right and done appropriately.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fantana.” He bowed, and there was a bit of a Cheunh lilt to his voice when he spoke. He wasn’t sure that was a good thing, but it was how it worked with him. He adapted.

“That is why I’m here, of course. To push the Sith from this world. I don’t know if you’re aware my family’s connection to the CEDF, but this world is a second home to many of my kin. I’m here to make a few stops around with a variety of people, but also seeing what the Houses need.” He could get in and out without any of the Sith noticing him. "It may not be the Alliance troops landing, but we've got a few people who are looking to help free this world." And all the others.

[member="Chaf’anta’natrano"]

 

[Chaf’anta’natrano]

She was impressed with the Cheuhn accent Starchaser used, even as he spoke in Basic, but it wasn't enough to fully earn her trust yet.

"Forgive my skepticism," Fantana said, raising a brow indignantly. "But the last time folks tried to 'free this world,' they blew up our entire tube system and the average Chiss couldn't make it to work for months. The economy suffered greatly, and for what? So that these so-called rebels could kill a few Sith troops?"

Waves of glossy blue-black hair fell on her shoulders as the Aristocra shook her head, showing a rare glimpse of frustration.

"As long as the Chiss people are not treated as an afterthought in a war against the Sith, then we would gratefully accept help from the Galactic Alliance."

House Chaf had weapons, droids, and technology that they could share with the Alliance, but only if they earned the full trust of its demanding and captious ruler.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Yeah, he had heard of the situation with those Rebels. He wasn’t so sure what they were thinking when it came to freeing the world. You wanted a world to be free, not just destroying a place the Sith were claiming. That was why he worked well with the Underground. Coren, for all his faults, would be the type to make sure that no, or very few, civilians were hurt.

Unless, of course, it was to take down the Dark Lord, or one of his lackeys.

“My teams are a bit slower moving than that. For all intents and purposes, we’ll take the fight to them, and hit them on their home turf, so they don’t see it coming. But I completely understand your skepticism.” He really did, which was why he wasn’t going to bring it up further. Just let his people do their thing from here.

“Not how the Alliance works. If we’re freeing a world, its because we want to help everyone involved. What we do is get rid of the problem, offer protection, but don’t even install our own government. You’d be free to run as you always have. But even if we can’t bring the fleet to bear here, we’ll make sure our men and women are behind the lines with yours.”

For a fee.

“Of course, it doesn’t come off free, and we’d need a good faith gesture to… assist with the efforts.” Not ensure, never ensure.

[member="Chaf’anta’natrano"]

 

[Chaf’anta’natrano]

Fantana tilted her head towards the pilot, giving him the barest of nods. The Chiss had done her research on the Galactic Alliance, through both legal and not-so-legal avenues, and the rag-tag organization checked out. They didn’t deliberate for months about whether or not to kill Sith, or wait for a Black Flag order. The Alliance hit Coruscant right out of the gate, taking the battle straight to the dark side. Sure, the Aristocra was making Starchaser jump through hoops today, but she wanted to hear for herself the passion in the Commander’s words. She needed to know that his heart was in helping Csilla, for the battle over the icy world would be bloody. From what Fan could tell, it seemed to be the case. Family ties were the strongest sorts of binds, after all.

“A good faith gesture, eh?” she asked, pressing the commlink on her ear and whispering into it. In a few moments, ten shiny black and blue N1 "Chiss" Battle Droids came marching into the library, flanking the Aristocra. Fantana gave Starchaser an uncharacteristic smile, one that flashed all of her perfect white teeth.

“A good faith gesture these are not. These droids are a personal gift to you, from my private army. They are yours now. As for that good faith gesture, let’s talk about what else the Galactic Alliance needs.”

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The Chiss would be a boom to the Galactic Alliance. The trick was the monstrosity known as the One Sith were sitting between Csilla and Sullust. If they could set up some black market trading, that would definitely help with pushing the Underground and Alliance and Ascendancy coalition. Setting up weapon moves from the Chiss to the rebels would go a long way, but most importantly, it was making sure the proper members of the insurgency were given the right pass codes and keycards.

What he wanted out of the deal were some of the masers, for the Tiburons and the rest of the Alliance. But really, his own unit could use them, and his ship, of course. “N-1s? I’ve seen these about. Newer than the time I spent on Csilla, that was all of twenty some odd years ago, though.” Coren nodded as he regarded the Chiss. “It is truly appreciated.” Half would get moved to the Tyrene, and the other half would remain here, placed in control of the insurgent units.

“For the Alliance, we’re still ramping up, but we want to take the Sith head on. I’d request some masers, as the change in weaponry would help, but that would bring the heat down on you and yours. Csilla has suffered enough in recent months, and the world is important to my family as well as yours.”

Personnel would be the next best thing.

[member="Chaf’anta’natrano"]

 

[Chaf’anta’natrano]

Fantana was getting better at reading human emotions in their strange, colorful eyes. If pressed, she might have said that Starchaser looked haunted by the things he'd seen. She lay a hand on his arm, an uncharacteristically warm gesture for the usually chilly Aristocra. Perhaps it was his familial tie to Chiss space, but something about the Commander moved her in a way that most humans normally did not.

"I appreciate the concern, Commander, but I assure you that my home planet of Sarvchi is still relatively safe from One Sith influence. It would be a safe world for the transport of weapons back and forth from Chiss space to Sullust. As well as ground zero for planning efforts."

Megamasers, charric and vape weaponry, and even soldiers could be given to the Galactic Alliance in exchange for the planting of insurgency cells trained to pick up arms against the Sith at a moment's notice. Fantana would make sure that Coren got whatever he needed. She had a compound on Sarvchi that was hidden from the prying eyes of the One Sith, and far enough from the palace of House Chaf to be inconspicuous enough.

"I have one other favor to ask you, Starchaser," she said, raising one blue-black brow. "If the One Sith catches wind of my dissent, I will need safe harbor somewhere. Would you be able to provide me political asylum on Sullust were I to be hunted here?"


[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Ah, so not born on Csilla then? Or at least not living on the world. Coren nodded as he looked over the blue skinned Chiss, not expected but not a bad thing. Especially if it gives him a connection to someone with military wares to spare. He was thinking about the team that was setting themselves up on the world. Coren had a few contacts still within the Chiss Houses, and they were keeping people in, as well as next generation holographic image creation. The members of his insurgency teams would be working in the refugee sectors and in those rare areas that didn’t house exclusively Chiss.

“We can use that. I’d need an updated map of the region, mine are… out of date. But from there, I can work on trailblazing some hyperspace trails in and around, for both of our people to use. Get help in, take the wounded out, as well as weapons and other wares.” Ever the commander, Coren was planning, and plotting.

What he was hoping for was to train the Chiss locals, and prep their own military for a minuteman style exercise. When the Galactica fell into the world’s atmosphere and everything was going to hell, the Chiss were going to need to take the home front and do some of the fighting. From there? The Alliance could come in and mop up.

“We can provide help for anyone who needs it at Sullust. I’ll be keeping your name and any trace of our meetings out of any comms with my people. Weapons will be deemed as stolen, and we’ve got enough pirate transponders to make it believable. But yes, you’re more than welcome to flee to Sullust, or we can work on freeing a station out this way, so you’re still in the neck of the fight.”

Why hadn’t he stayed at Csilla? Because he had a bigger fish to fry.

[member="Chaf’anta’natrano"]