Rebuilding

[Cameron Centurion]

Stewjon Orbit

Aiden's silver-green gaze looked out the forward viewport of the Valiant II-class Star Destroyer. For the most part, Aiden's thoughts were almost uniquely centered on his duties at any given time. It had been just shy of a week since Aiden arrived in Stewjon space. Prior to his arrival, Aiden had petitioned for a detachment from the Confederate Defense Force to be sent ahead. Aiden had informed the Marshal to take no further action; instead preparing for pending authority. A couple of days ago, Aiden had suspended the power, influence, and indeed nearly the entire existence of the Oligarchy that had previously been administering the world of Stewjon.

As the Viceroy had expected, his decision had met with resistance. That was where the elements of the Confederate Defense Force came into play. The Sith Lord had not yet put into place any type of martial law. In fact, citizens appointed and elected were ultimately in control of each of the former provinces ruled over by the nobility. It was not a perfect process, and they required much guidance from a select number of advisers and staff members that he'd managed to acquire mostly from his younger brother's former administration of Druckenwell. Though Caid had not been a very public Viceroy, he'd done quite a bit of work on the surface of the planet. If the reports were to be believed, Druckenwell continued to move along without large issue.

It wouldn't last. Absent a continuous guiding hand of like-mind, his brother's changes would eventually fade with the wind. Aiden would not make the same mistake. Here, on Stewjon, he would change society bit by bit. There were so many biases that caused a majority of their issues. The overbearing nature of the nobility was but a small piece of the puzzle. However, as much as the planet had weaknesses, it also had strengths. The warriors of Stewjon could certainly be useful, so to could the Shield Maidens. Those without a penchant for combat could be taught other abilities, strengths. For those that still did not belong, fit, there was the freedom and opportunity to pursue a profession of choice rather than a limited array of options. Even the people of Colstev, the second planet in the system, would benefit from cross-training and educational outreach.

The difficult part of Aiden's long-term plan would be the break-down of Stewjon's superstition towards force users. To that end, Aiden had dispatched the two Endelaan Warriors that had left the world with him several weeks ago. They would be a very integral part of continuing the combat training of the warrior caste, but they would also help to identify those with the potential for more...intensive instruction.

"Your Excellency, you have a call from a Brayden Antares."

Turning his head, Aiden stared at the military aide briefly. "I will call him back. However, do tell me when Knight Lechner or Darcrath arrive."

"Of course, Your Excellency."

Aiden did not watch the young man retreat from his presence. The two women he had asked to meet him on-board this vessel would be integral parts of Stewjon's future successes. They both brought...different talents and perspectives to the situation. Alwine would supervise much of the investigation into the abuse of citizens of Stewjon. Naedira would assist Aiden in identifying those with potential for force training...those perhaps too afraid to speak out for fear of chastisement. Alwine and Aiden had just parted company a few days before his arrival in the Stewjon System. Naedira, however, had not been in Aiden's presence for nearly two weeks now. Two weeks since they had visited one of the ancestral homeworlds of his family, Malagarr. For a brief moment, the memories of that trip filtered through Aiden's mind, but he manged to blink them away.

Now was not the time for the Sith Lord to take a trip down memory lane. It didn't matter how immensely enjoyable said memories may or may not have been.

[member="Naedira Darcrath"] | [member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Alwine's heart was pounding in her chest as the transport vessel she had arrived on was going through its final sequence to latch onto the Vicelord's ship in Stewjon's orbit. She stared out the window, looking at the planet she had ran away from several months ago, chocolate brown eyes unbelieving that she was here again, and by her own agreement, no less. She had vowed, that last day on the planet. Vowed that with the death of her parents and her extraction from the prison she had grown up in, that she would never set foot on the planet again unless it was to destroy it. And now she was here, taking the first steps to ensure that it became better.

As she had told Aiden, she would not accept the position he had offered her without speaking to her brothers first. A part of her had hoped that either Gerwald or Varrick would offer opposition, give her a true reason beyond her personal fears to not take the job. They had not. Surprisingly, they had gone from neutral yet somewhat interested, to outright supportive. Naturally, Alwine had raged at it. And after she had calmed down, she contacted Aiden and told him she accepted his offer.

Every moment since then had been split and divided as she jumped in her opinion between thinking she had made the right choice and thinking she had made the wrong one. Was there really hope for Stewjon? Punishing people for misbehaving was always simple enough, but to change a society that so heavily relied on superstition… That was not an easy task. Alwine was not even certain such a thing could be achieved without generations of re-educating the local populace. She had, of course, a few ideas.

And then there was that whole thing about her being in direct danger. She'd never really opened up about it to her brothers, but there were more than a few Lords who'd been relieved to have had her waiting to be executed. As a servant, she had been invisible, had witnessed countless of horrors by the ruling caste of the planet. But under torture, the Lords suddenly realized what she could say. Those who were truly at the top of the aristocratic food chain had not cared, of course. They had the power and influence to come out unscathed from whatever might have been tossed their way. But the lower ones? The ones who'd known of her presence at too many events… But perhaps they had forgotten. Perhaps she thought she was among those who had died in the prisons that day. Certainly, not all those who had been locked up were strong enough to make it out of the prisons even when they were set free. The tortures had been… She did not wish to think about it.

Yet what good could she actually bring to this planet? Aiden had said that he could use someone who knew the language and the local landscapes, yet the point of view she could give him was merely that of a girl who had been trained to be a lowly servant. Sure, she had watched quietly and listened intently while she cleaned their night pots, while she learned how to use ammonia to get blood out of their sheets. Yet it had all been intuitive for her. She had not had the training of a spy, or a politician. Other than point out crimes for which she knew the law would demand execution for those who were not in power, she knew… Very little. It had been her mother who knew those things, but her mother was dead. Because Alwine killed her. And this was something that, by local law, would earn her an execution as well. Were her crimes forgiven, just because she was officially with the Confederacy now? Even the Confederacy did not have an official record of what the Lechner siblings had done during that final hour.

Alwine swallowed hard as the transport vessel at last finished its sequence. It had been her first time in space without turning into a wolf. The first time she had not spent most of the flying time staring out at the planets and stars. She had been staring instead mostly at nothing, her body already clad in the uniform of the Knights Obsidian, as it was the only official item of clothing she actually owned. If you could call it owning. She was quite certain that if she'd officially leave the Knights Obsidian, she would have to return it.

Her legs knew where to go of their own accord. Chest still pounding, Alwine licked her lips, wising the dryness inside her mouth to vanish. For better and for worse, she was here now. And if it didn't work out… She could always leave. Or so she hoped.

[member="Aiden"] | [member="Naedira Darcrath"]

 

[Cameron Centurion]

A crimson-cloaked figure stood silently just inside the airlock of the Star Destroyer as [member="Alwine Lechner"] stepped onto the polished black decking of the vessel. The only discernible characteristics of the escort was the unmistakable tanned hue to his skin and the large sword that wa sheathed to a scabbard attached to his right hip. Chocolate eyes gave the new arrival a brief once over before he turned. "Follow me, Knight Lechner. His Highness is expecting you."

The last sentence of the cloaked figure's statement indicated only that he was, most likely, a native of Endelaan. The number of individuals onboard the CIS Star Destroyer that would refer to the Viceroy in such a manner numbered precisely two. No further words were exchanged as he guided the Lupine through a labyrinth of corridors and up several ladderwells to reach the command deck. The vessel did have turbolifts, but neither the Endelaan Warriors nor their Prince ever utilized them. For the warriors, they were simply a technology with which they were not exactly familiar and therefore suspicious of its need, effectiveness. Taking a manual route was better for the body, better for the mind, and from a tactical standpoint allowed far more avenues of escape should something happen.

Approximately fifteen minutes after her arrival, the Endelaan Warrior turned Alwine down a lengthy corridor that only contained a handful of rooms. The last room on the left before a set of heavy blast doors was a large conference room. The suite of offices in that corridor were, technically, designed for the vessel's Captain. However, that obviously only remained the case when a more ranking official was not permanently embarked. While there had been two security officers at the entrance to the corridor, there was precious little inside the corridor itself save one more crimson-cloaked figure.

After motioning Alwine inside, the warrior that had escorted her took a position on the opposite side of the doorway from his fellow Endelaan native.

Inside the room, Aiden stood with his arms folded and his back to the door. The room itself was sparsely decorated. The floor was carpeted with a black and purple weave while the walls were a simple gray. There were only two portraits in the room, depicting naval engagements of some sort. Around a large rectangular table sat sixteen, high-backed, black leather chairs. Silver-green eyes studied a large holographic projection of key locations on the planet's surface. Along with them, were a number of symbols and colors indicating assets both overtly and covertly spread throughout population centers. There were a number of people that lived away from the major towns, but the Viceroy had people ensuring word of the recent edict spread as far and wide as possible. Further more, there were a small handful of armed contingents reporting mild resistance by those belonging to a handful of noble families.

Before Alwine said anything and without looking in her direction, the large Sith called out to her. "Welcome back to the Stewjon System, Ms. Lechner." Turning his body to regard the diminutive woman, the large, shirtless Sith offered her a polite nod before getting straight to business. "Did you have time to review the recent edict prior to your arrival?" As if in preparation for a potential negative response, Aiden wordlessly pointed to a datapad resting idly on the top of the conference room table.

 

[Alwine Daye]

Alwine blinked as the man referred to Aiden as His Highness. She knew enough by now to connect the dots and understand that he was a representatives of Endelaan in one form or another. Was he part of the people Aiden had chosen to surround himself with as part of his dealings as Viceroy of Stewjon? Was he here for another reason? There was something about the color of his eyes though that calmed her down a touch. Brown eyes, like hers. No glow or strange things going on. Did the Princes and Princesses of Endelaan even know how sometimes their glowing eyes could put others at unease?

Offering the man a nod, Alwine made to follow him. While she easily recognized the walk as something that happened due to lack of using the lifts, she did not mind it. Moving her legs rather than standing still helped to slightly soothe her on the inside. Movement was always preferable to the Lupine when her heart pounded so. It was still pounding by the time they entered the room, but… But not as hard.

Alwine was inside now, and she turned around to look at the two barely clothed guards guarding the doorway, hoping that this was simple protocol and not because Aiden thought she could possibly pose any sort of a threat. He was at least thrice her weight, twice her height, and she had little doubt that he was far better trained both with and without the Force than she was. Was this then, perhaps, a display of power? She already knew the Endelaanians had it.

Turning then to look at Aiden, she noticed the table first. She recognized some of the locations and could make educated guesses about what a few of the symbols meant. A shudder ran down her spine. To come here again after wanting to leave for her entire life, to coming again after swearing to only return to burn the planet down… It was almost unthinkable. And yet she had done it. She was here. She was here to make the place better. To give both herself and what had once been prison-home the opportunity to be better.

Raising her eyes to Aiden then, she noted his lack of shirt. Was this another Endelaan thing, walking around with your bare male chest uncovered? Caid did the same. The demon-twin… Well, he had not.

"I have," she answered, giving her own nod. "I am unsure how much Caid has told you about me, though." It had taken her hours to read through it the first time. She did not understand many of the words. Having one of the droids read it to her had helped only a little, as she was not versed at all in such lawyer-like language and phrasing. "It is only recently that I have begun to work on reading and writing. I can build my sentences in a way that easily causes many to believe I have a much larger grasp on vocabulary than I actually do, but I cannot claim to have understood all of it, though I firmly believe that I have the basics of it down."

As she was not offered to take a seat, Alwine remained standing. She would never lie to Caid regarding what she knew or did not know, even when it concerned matters that for others ought to have been so basic and already covered in their childhood. With Aiden… Aiden was not Caid. But she had come here of her own free will, the choice she had made several times by now had been hers to make, and she would give him the same honesty that she gave his half-brother, at least until he gave her a reason not to.

"If I may frank," she continued, "I am still struggling with the choice I have made to come and aid you and aid the planet. I do not know how much of a help I can actually be, but I preferred to discuss this face to face. Could we agree on an amount of time that would be used to see if there is a reason to continue beyond it? I would not wish to waste your time in any way, nor give false impressions."


[member="Aiden"]

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Aiden nodded simply to Alwine. There was a key piece of information that he'd not conveyed to her during their interaction on Cularin. "My brother has told me a great deal, Alwine. Such as the reference he made to you regarding a skilled linguist to help you with your words." The faintest hint of a smirk played on Aiden's lips as he casually held his arms out to his side. "So we'll see if we can't help each other."

Lowering his arms, Aiden allowed his mind to return briefly to the holographic projection even as Alwine continued to speak. If she thought back to their time on Cularin, she would probably recall hearing him speak a language she probably did not know. Then again...perhaps she did. There was a time when Paecian was likely considered a halfway dead language, spoken only by the inhabitants of one world. In Aiden's family, however, Dathomiri were fairly prolific. There were not many that could not speak their tongue as result. It was probably right ahead of Ancient Sith in terms of frequency of use.

As Alwine began speaking once more, Aiden returned his attention to the diminutive woman. He had little more than a shrug to give her. Though it may have often appeared that he was taken by impulse, the Sith Lord rarely did anything on a whim. There was always some level of analytical thought involved, he just had a tendency to do it very quickly. "I do not recommend that you waste my time either. However, if you feel inadequate to the task of being the Adjutant of Stewjon and ushering in the social change this planet needs, then I am happy to reassign you...or dismiss you from service entirely."

There was no hint of jest or attempt to insult on his face. Aiden was being very direct as it was all he had time for in his life. "Do you feel incapable? Because...if you do, there is no need for a trial and error period. You can either put forth the effort to execute the duties or you cannot. If you begin to fall below the standard of performance, then you will, of course, be released to other activities."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Naedira Darcrath]

Her entire body seized when she was pulled from the bacta tank by a so-called helpful mechanical arm. Were it not for the intubation apparatus she would have screamed, simply, from the discomfort that ran down deep into her chest. Naedira had spent the past two weeks embroiled in one difficulty, then the next, and then directly into one after that. It was mindboggling how she could press onward when her body felt like it would keel over at a stiff breeze. Somehow, either through the Force, or sheer willpower she managed until the mission was completed.

The medical bay on her Scimitar Class Star Courier, the Enviable Talent, was pretty decent for the size of the ship. It wasn’t expansive like some of the larger vessels but Naedira was often alone in her travels. One fully functional bacta tank was enough. She’d spent almost the entirety of the trip to Stewjon from Geonosis submerged in life-sustaining fluids, and aside from a certain huskiness to her tone, she would appear to be operating at her full potential. Her throat felt like she’d swallowed a pinecone.

Or a tube to provide air.

There was an uncertainty in her that had not existed in her before. Malagarr. Two weeks had passed and it was still fresh in her mind. Two weeks, since she had seen, or heard, from [member="Aiden"]. He had beckoned her through official channels, requesting her specifically, and the Dominus had easily acquiesced. Naedira read the attached documents with the summons and apprised herself of the almost volatile situation that surrounded a fairly backwater world.

By the time she docked with the Viceroy’s starship, Naedira had dressed accordingly. She did not know exactly what she was walking into, and thusly, dressed in her beloved Strike Armor. The Nabooian woman did not travel many places without her weapons and this voyage wouldn’t see her act any differently. Her hood remained down, exposing olive-skin, chestnut eyes, and waves of auburn tresses that spilled down her shoulders.

The Knight Obsidian presented her summons to the personal security detail that waited for her in the airlock and she was quickly given clearance. It didn’t strike her too strange, despite her position, because every Viceroy was encouraged to maintain their owned militia. The CIS would defend worlds within their sphere to the best of their ability but it was truly impossible to be everywhere at once. It was just interesting to see it in practice. Dark eyes immediately made judgments.

“I am here to engage the Viceroy at his own behest.”, Naedira spoke plainly though her expression remained impassive. She didn’t know these men but something about them made her want to hold her chain whip a little tighter. Regardless of a warriors instinct, the auburn-haired female remained at ease. She did not believe that Aiden, no matter his gruffness, would place her in danger on his own ship. It would be an insult to every sensibility.

Naedira was escorted to a functional room that seemed to be a waiting area. The chairs looked hard, uncomfortable, and designed to encourage guests to stand. She remained standing, though, she did set down a lightly packed rucksack. She didn’t know how long this mission would take or if she would be permitted to return to her ship.

“We will make him aware of your arrival. Please, be seated.”

She frowned. Aiden would already know she was here. He would feel her. The extra waiting, mystery, and formality were more than a little unnerving. No, she would definitely stand.

[member="Aiden"] | [member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

A skilled linguist… Oh. Alwine nodded, understanding. Aiden had been the man Caid had mentioned, though not by name. So he knew of her predicament regarding reading and writing, and that she was working on it as well. If it had not been for that evening on Curalin, she would have wondered what he meant by helping each other out, but by now, she could pretty much guess that he referred to himself learning the local language as well. Truth be told, she could not see what it would get him, but it was a fair trade, and she would not deny him.

"What I am trying to say," she answered, "is that I do not know if I am inadequate or adequate, or anything else. I have never done anything that remotely resembles this before. When I lived here, I was trained to be a servant, and what I learned along the way in terms of listening and noticing things came from instinct. With the Confederacy, I am part of the Knights Obsidian, where most of what I need to know how to do is deliver a punch without hurting myself in the process."

She was not insulted by any means. But neither did she have any false pretenses regarding herself. Alwine, in truth, did not know whether she could do a good job out of what she had been offered, and she did not if she would do a bad job either. It was completely uncharted territory for the nineteen year old who, several months ago, was held a prisoner on this planet and accused of being a witch.

"I will put forth all the effort that is within me to give," she said, head still raised. But that did not and would never guarantee actual results. For that, only time would be able to tell. By now she noticed the presence of another, waiting outside. But if she noticed it, she was more than certain that Aiden did as well, and probably had long before her.

Was there anything else to say?

"Though I have neglected to mention the evening we met on Curalin," she suddenly smiled, "It is entirely possible that I am still a wanted person on Stewjon. Not for witchcraft this time, but for murder. I will not be surprised if this is being deliberately kept from you by the local Lords."

[member="Naedira Darcrath"] | [member="Aiden"]

 

[Cameron Centurion]

[member="Naedira Darcrath"] | [member="Alwine Lechner"]

Aiden of course could sense Naedira. Courtesy of their recent sojourn to Malagarr, Aiden had gotten to know the woman...fairly well. However, there was no telling if it was a deepening bond between the two or lingering effects of the mystical planet of Malagarr. The truth? It was likely s combination of both - particularly given how Aiden had laid the raw brutality of his presence bare for Naedira while dealing with the Praxeum. In that moment, she’d been closer to the core of his being than any other living entity.

So as not to have any amount of confusion filter the raven-haired woman’s mind, Aiden allowed his presence to expand and wash against her own the moment her vessel docked with his own. It would remain, casually coalescing with her own presence seemingly with a mind of its own for several moments before recoiling by the time she was shown to the waiting area.

Silver-green eyes held Alwine’s dark gaze in the moment. For now, his facial expression indicated focus only on the young Lupine, and it held fantastically little concern over her own legal status in Stewjon. ”The whims and laws of any on Stewjon are currently suspended. I care not what the Lords keep from me in this moment as they are being investigated for violations of the Charter of the Confederacy. As such, they are little more than detainees in largest estates...for now. As for your skills, I think you’ll find you need little more than intuition, patience, and common sense to be successful. I’m sure you are capable of all three.”

Turning his head towards the two Endelaan Warriors at the door, Aiden issued instructions without waiting for Alwine’s response. The Sith was not attempting to dismiss the woman, he was merely attempting to maximize his time. ”Please escort Knight Darcrath in here immediately.”

As Aiden turned his head to regard Alwine once more, waiting to see if she has any further questions or comments, one of the warriors simply stepped off from his present position and made the short trip down the corridor. ”Knight Darcrath? His Highness will see you now.”

As ever, the two Endelaan Warriors in Aiden’s charge never referred to him by any of his non-Endelaan titles.

 

[Naedira Darcrath]

A familiar sensation of warmth rolled over her and she nearly swayed on her feet. Her hand on her weapon eased unintentionally. Naedira didn’t know what it was. It was gentle, like a warm summer’s breeze, but pointed. Even after their trip to Malagarr, something that she still barely talked about, she couldn’t place the subtle influence Aiden seemed to have on her. It wasn’t strong or overly forceful. It wasn’t control, though, the intensity of his presence was occasionally dizzying. The Knight Obsidian was capable of resisting if she wanted to…

If she wanted to.

In that moment in was a combination of things. A greeting. Silent reassurances that settled the fight or flight tightness that had begun around the base of her spine. It had been quite some time since they’d seen one another last but the definitive pull had not lessened. She could feel him just as easily as she had before. Not for the first time, she wondered how it came to be, or what it meant, but as always Naedira took it in stride. Aiden never fussed about things like that. He wasn’t worried or acting strangely. Neither should she.

The young woman settled into the waiting area and did her best to relax in the interim. It wasn’t long before her jailers came back to get her. For that, she was grateful. Naedira had settled enough that she wasn’t exhibiting signs of distrust for her surroundings but there was only one thing that would make her feel as if she didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Aiden.

”Knight Darcrath? His Highness will see you now.”

“Finally.”

Her response garnered the proverbial evil eye from the warrior that had come to fetch her like a good lapdog but her expression remained unmoved. Naedira took her time picking up her rucksack. He saw fit to make her wait, thusly, she would not rush. Her cinnamon-flecked eyes followed the crimson-cloaked guard but she never lost sight of her surroundings. She knew exactly how many paces it would take to reach forward and break his neck. She knew exactly how many seconds she would have to catch him so that his fall wouldn’t make any noise.

Naedira didn’t have any true designs to cause harm. She was an executor. She was just good at it.

Upon entering what appeared to be a rather spartan conference room the auburn-haired woman could feel something in her being become almost peaceful. Chocolate eyes flickered toward Aiden, then, toward his guest. A Knight she had never met? The Lechner girl mentioned in the briefing, surely. Her head inclined to the young woman first. “I’m Naedira Darcrath.”, she introduced herself briefly, choosing the entirety of her name, versus simply calling herself a Knight. That was obvious from her armor.

What would be different for Aiden would be the sound of her voice. What was usually a smooth velvet was strained, grainy, as if her vocal chords had been recently damaged. “I know your brother. He’s a competent Knight.”

“His wolf-senses came in handy.”

Stewjon, for all intents and purposes, needed to be cleansed. It was the long and the short of the reports that she had gone over whilst in transit. Why the world interested Aiden? She didn’t know.

“It’s good to see you again, Viceroy.”, Naedira greeted the dark-haired man both professionally and quietly. She had a no-nonsense nature that, no matter how good it was to see him, she couldn’t allow it to be noticed in her demeanor. At least, not openly. Ever practical her gaze turned toward the holotable. They had a lot of work ahead of them. “When do we begin?”

[member="Aiden"] | [member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Intuition, patience, and common sense. Three things that Alwine most definitely had, though she did not quite understand how these were sufficient to fill out the role that Aiden had decided to offer her. His expression regarding her status on Stewjon had not gone unnoticed either, but there was nothing for the petite Lupine to comment or say regarding that. For all intents and purposes, she had told Aiden all that was relevant, and all that might be relevant during the time they were to work together, and so when he finished speaking, there was nothing more she could offer him but a nod.

Forever comfortable within her own skin, Alwine felt no need to fill the silence that took place as they waited for Knight Darcrath to enter the room. She did not recognize the name, but was hardly surprising. For all the hardship she gave her brother, she could not quite claim to know who was who all over the Confederacy, as she was still learning, still trying to mingle, still trying to get to know who people were.

As the woman entered and introduced herself, Alwine nodded to her as well. The two women were dressed in identical armor, it was hard to miss the fact they both knew each other for what they were; Knights Obsidian, if nothing else. "Alwine Lechner," she introduced herself.

When Executor Darcrath mentioned her brother though… While Alwine's facial expressions did not truly change, it was hard to deny a semblance of beaming from her. The demands of the Warriors among the Confederacy were above and beyond what they were required to be on Stewjon. To know, to have someone else confirm what Alwine always hoped for, that Gerwald was competent, filled the youngest of the Lechner siblings with pride. "I would be delighted to hear how, when you have the time," she said with a little smile. Competent was great. Higher value adjectives, she hoped, would follow soon enough.

And now that the three of them were assembled, and pretty much none of them was willing to sit down, Executor Darcrath asked where they were to begin. Alwine shifted her gaze to Aiden, waiting for the answer.

[member="Naedira Darcrath"] [member="Aiden"]

 

[Cameron Centurion]

[member="Naedira Darcrath"] | [member="Alwine Lechner"]

Silver-green eyes tracked in the direction of Naedira as she entered the room. Ever the consummate professional, the woman quickly set to introducing herself and greeting both Aiden and the other Executor. ”Now that we’re all acquainted...”

With a motion of his hand, Aiden changed the holographic projection. It shifted from the generic orientation view of the present situation on the ground to a more focused timeline of events. Obviously, the specifics got thinner the farther along the line one moved, this was done specifically to keep the plan flexible.

”I’m sure you’ve all reviewed the briefing information sent to you prior to your arrival, so I won’t belabor the point. Stewjon is going to undergo a systematic societal transformation. I’ve already spoken directly with the Vicelord, and it remains clear that the historical reign and corruption of the oligarchy is likely too entrenched to be healed in any way.”

Motioning to Alwine, Aiden continued. ”Knight Lechner, officially doing business in this system as Adjutant Lechner until such a time as our work is complete, will be responsible for the up-front investigation and evidence collection into the civil rights crimes of the nobility and any others on the surface. She will be assisted with a team of appointed and elected officials to keep the people of Stewjon involved, provide them an opportunity to take a hand in shaping their destiny.”

This was the crucial part of the plan. Aiden was not here to be a conquering hero. No - he would usher in an era of freedom and prosperity alongside the people. There would be distrust at first. Aiden did not hide his Force talents, and he has appointed two members of the Knights Obsidian to prominent positions. Two female members. The key to changing systemic cultural bias was simply to show them the path to a better future by utilizing every single one of the things they viewed as weak or destructive.

In time, Aiden would reshape this world into a highly capable breeding ground for warriors and cultivation of key crop resources for the Confederacy. Why was he doing it? Merely because he could.

Motioning to Naedira, Aiden finished up his shirt briefing. ”Knight Darcrath, hereby appointed as Chief Magistrate, will be responsible for cultivating Stewjon judicial and policing forces. Right now, we do have a contingent from the CDF maintaining order, but that cannot last. Progress will be stunted while this planet languishes under martial law. The two of you will be the chief instigators to wrapping this up. To that end - Alwine you are empowered to the full end of political authority to manage the modification of Stewjon’s legal system in conjunction with your investigations. Naedira, you will begin to constitute and train policing forces as necessary. Once we have rectified the internal strife, we can look towards further training of their military forces and cultivating the infrastructure. If there are no questions...”

Shifting his gaze back to Alwine, Aiden clasped his hands behind his back. ”Alwine, you are dismissed. You will find a small staff of political advisors awaiting you in the conference room on Level O6. They’ll be on hand to help you navigate the legal and political framework of the CIS, but they will need your help understanding Stewjon. This is why I appointed you to this position. Naedira..”

Slowly, Aiden tracked his head in her direction, managing to remain professional throughout. However, there was no denying the continuous tug at the center of his soul. ”Please hang around for a moment. The Vicelord has asked me to convey an additional sensitive assignment to you privately.”

 

[Naedira Darcrath]

Naedira, unlike most women, enjoyed that her clothing choices were by nature very standard. The Strike Armor that Knight’s Obsidian wore so frequently had long ago become a second skin. When she didn’t know what sort of trouble she might be getting into or felt like being cautious the way to go it was an easy decision. The dark-haired Knight would always rather be protected from blaster fire versus taking one point blank in the back.

Knight Lechner, the female version, seemed polite enough. Naedira had done her due diligence and had run through her service record, briefly, but there was only so much one could learn from a docket. When she asked for the more information on how the male Knight Lechner had performed Naedira nodded her head. Her strained voice would carry on the conversation easily. “I made a full report after the incident but I realize those can be rather…”

“Dry. Perhaps, when our tasks are through on Stewjon?”

Back to business. Knight Darcrath rarely wavered from the true issue at hand. Regardless of her personal feelings, she always, made it a point to stay on task. Chestnut eyes, flecked with cinnamon, focused fully on his Highness whilst he corralled them in to fill the gaps. It still amused her just slightly about how his personal warriors seemed to hold him in such reverence, but after Malagarr, it wasn’t an incredible shock.

The plan was daring for the state of Stewjon, but, in a general sense, it was truly quite simple. It removed the elements that caused most of the corruption and strife while preparing the people to police themselves whilst maintaining general order. Naedira found herself accepting the concept easily. Being a Chief Magistrate didn’t sound that much different than her regular duties.

The olive-skinned woman remained silent when they were asked, almost rhetorically, if they had any questions. She did not and her stance shifted as Alwine was dismissed in preparation for her own leave. As if he knew what she would do, Aiden requested that she remain, and she settled back on the soles of her boots. Her brow furrowed for a moment. A sensitive assignment from Darth Metus?

Truth be told she’d been dealing with those for the better part of the last two weeks. It was the reason her throat felt like she’d been gargling with sandpaper. Briefly, curious, her eyes searched his. They were everything she knew them to be but there were no answers to be found there. “…As you wish.”

She turned and offered Alwine a brief smile to signal that should she have anything she needed to discuss that she ought to feel free. Naedira would wait. If the assignment was imperative enough Darth Metus would have reached out directly before she left Geonosis.

[member="Aiden"] | [member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Adjutant Lechner. While her face remained neutral and passive, Alwine had to admit it filled her with the slightest sense of pride in hearing her name like that. She just hoped she could do the title justice and not be a waste of time to Aiden, and mostly to herself. She remained quiet as Aiden laid out the plan, hermind already reeling over what she could actually do.

For while he might not have said it, this was not going to be easy. The three of them, as well as more people that Aiden had brought with him, were Force Users. By Stewjon beliefs, that made them consorters with demons, ought to be burned at the stake. Additionally, she and Knight Darcrath were women, considered inferior on the planet.

Rules could easily be re-written and changed. The hearts and beliefs of men… Were much harder to alter. Alwine held no false hopes; the way would be hard, and it would be met with resistance every step of the way. The opposition would not only come from the Lord caste, as there were more than enough people who believed in the caste system, the gender segregation, and that things ought to be as things had always been. Undergoing a temporary phase of martial law was not going to win any hearts over.

She could easily imagine her mother and father entering the hut after a long day, speaking in alert voices about the changes, trying to understand how they would impose on the secrecy that had always been part of the Lechner family. And for the briefest of moments, Alwine could not help but wonder… How many other families held secrets such as theirs? Not Lupines, no, they would have scented if there were any others. But secrets were not merely gossip and scandal. There could be other near-human species on the planet, entire families of self-trained Force Users who had no way of leaving the planet. And probably other things that she could not even imagine, even after all the things she had seen that the galaxy had to offer outside of Stewjon.

Her feelings a mixture of dread and excitement, the petite shook her head as she had no direct questions for Aiden, and left the room.

Her steps light and near silent, she walked to the elevator that would take her to the correct level.

Pausing in front of the doors of the conference room, Alwine paused, closing her eyes. She could do this. She was no longer a slip of a girl on Stewjon, raised to keep her head down and follow orders. She had a chance to make things better, to make sure no other child would suffer the same as she had on the planet, that no one who was not a Lord would suffer simply for being born to the 'wrong' caste. This was the power that Aiden had given her when he made his offer. The power to change Sewjon. To give… To give its children a childhood they deserved.

And above all other supposedly philanthropic wants, there was one other reason that Alwine was here, that Alwine would give all she had for this purpose. For Varick and Gerwald, she whispered to herself.

Opening her eyes, Alwine used the Force to slam the doors of the conference room open. The woman they would be dealing with was not the servant child of Stewjon. The woman they were going to deal with was Alwine Lechner.

[member="Naedira Darcrath"] [member="Aiden"]

 

[Cameron Centurion]

Aiden watched the independent reactions of the two women. Offering [member="Alwine Lechner"] a simple nod of the head, the Sith Lord's bright gaze followed her to the door. Once she had stepped back into the corridor, Aiden slowly shifted his gaze back to that of [member="Naedira Darcrath"], familiar smirk pulling at his features. If there was one simple truth about their interactions, Aiden did not need to say anything to Naedira.

Casually, the large warrior walked around the side of the table. Stopping directly beside the Naboo native, Aiden took a seat on top of the table as he leaned towards Naedira. As they had discovered upon the surface of Aikhabba, Aiden and Naedira's respective presences called and reached for each other with no discernible effort from either of them. The slightest motion of a finger on one of Aiden's hands sealed the doors to the conference room.

A much more definitive motion saw the Viceroy gently tilting Naedira's head up just enough for his lips to find hers.

--------

The three advisors that had been selected, admittedly, from the core of seasoned diplomats and politicians employed by the Central Confederate Government and not necessarily by Aiden himself waited patiently inside of the secondary conference room for the newly minted Adjutant of Stewjon. As the doors slammed open in dramatic fashion, three pairs of eyes turned from where they sat towards the entrance. None of them knew Alwine Lechner apart from what they've been told and the personnel file which had been created for the woman inside of the Provisional Government of Stewjon.

When Alwine's petite frame swept into the room, the two men and one woman came to their feet respectfully, but it was the female and Senior Ambassador that spoke for them. "Adjutant Lechner. We are pleased to meet you, and we look forward to assisting in your objectives for this system."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three Weeks Later

A large amount of the personnel that had been assigned to the Stewjon System in the wake of Aiden's appointment and arrival had since relocated from his command ship to the surface of Stewjon itself. While construction was still underway on a new government complex that would adequately be able to house all of the system's vital government functions, a number of prefabricated, temporary structures had been erected in a landing zone just outside the capital city. Aiden, however, remained onboard Valiant II-class Star Destroyer.

During the previous three weeks, it had been a pretty constant stream of meetings, protests, and a tirade of complaints with regard to the investigations into the nobility and suspension of privileges. The Viceroy did not actually entertain most of those meetings or calls, allowing his collection of staff members to delivery canned responses. It was important for him, in the moment, to allow both Alwine Lechner and Naedira Darcrath to exercise their authority independently. He would not tolerate the men of the planet attempting to go around the two women that he had effectively appointed as his direct-agents within the system.

Today, he was to take a meeting with both Alwine and Naedira. In truth, the meeting was more for Alwine to deliver her report on the suspected rights violations by members of the nobility. Naturally, Aiden already understood the reality. They all knew what had been happening. More importantly, the decision had already been made to completely dissolve the oligarchy, re-distributing assets to a central trust for the government and among the many farmers of the world. That was merely the first step. Following this meeting, they would start the reorganization of the government and training of its people in earnest.

Two large raps on the door to his massive, personal stateroom and cabin were answered simply by Aiden motioning the door open.

"You requested my presence, Your Highness?"

Aiden did not look up from the flimsis he was reviewing. "Ensure that Chief Magistrate Darcrath and Adjutant Lechner are brought directly here with all due haste."

"As you command, Your Highness."

 

[Alwine Daye]

Alwine's three weeks had been… Eventful. She had not gone into this project thinking it would be easy, but she had not imagined how hard it might have been. The looks she received from those of Stewjon… There were some among them that she had once counted as friends, or at least as close to friends as possible while she had to hide the fact that she was a Lupine. Those fragile friendships had crashed when she was taken to prison so many months ago, but she could not deny that it still tugged uncomfortable at her heart to see how they looked at her now.

She was a woman, she was a Force User, she was not human. She was everything the people of Stewjon stood against, everything they had tried to wipe clean of their planet. She did not even have the little comfort in being a stranger; unsurprisingly, that made her worse in their eyes than Executor Darcrath. And on top of that, the Lords suddenly seemed to recognize her. Not at first though. It had taken them days to realize that this tiny woman had lived among them, served among them, had seen some of their deepest and darkest secrets that they had assumed would never be uncovered, for who would believe a servant over a Lord? A woman over a man? An illiterate child from the farmer's caste over the well educated people that ran the planet?

There had been several attempts on her life since landing planet-side. Thankfully, Alwine had insisted on sleeping in her wolf shape; a shape that had much more sensitive hearing, that woke up easily at the sound of anyone even coming near the makeshift housing that she had been assigned. It did mean that proper and long rest was rare; but the tradeoff was that she was still alive, despite the wishes of individuals who preferred otherwise. Still, Alwine saw these attempts for what they were; a distraction. After the second attempt she had requested for extra reinforcements as well as investigations to locate the culprits. There weren't that many Stewjoni Lords that this task would be impossible for someone else to handle, especially when her own efforts looked at things that were much more long term and to her, more important.

And then there were the files. Alwine had compiled endless lists of them. After a week she had given up trying to put it all into her own writing and had turned to the available protocol droids instead, having them read, listen, and put to their memory all the things that were wrong among the Lord caste. Money laundering, human trafficking, child abuse, caste abuse… The list went on and on. And it was not just the men. The women held much of the responsibility as well, though due to Stewjon's culture they worked more from the shadows, had been harder to uncover.

More than once, Alwine was almost seduced in the idea of just executing the entire caste. Giving the planet a clean slate without such rotten people. But their children… Some of them were as guilty, but many of them were small, still of single digit ages. Alwine could not bring herself to recommend these be put out as well.

And it was not just the Lord caste. Alone, they could have done little to nothing. The farmer caste had helped them, the warrior caste had helped them. The only group on Stewjon Alwine had seen nothing wrong with thus were the Shield Maidens, but she was keeping them for last as it were. Perhaps a few more weeks and she would be able to put the pin to that last bubble of things she had been sure of her entire life that was right on Stewjon, that was as it ought to be, despite what they had done when she'd tried to join their ranks.

So she had done what she was meant to be doing. She had gathered all the evidence. People came to confess, often trying to get deals out of it; throw someone under the vehicle so that they themselves would be punished less severely. But not only witness evidence; mansions had been looked through, combed through, evidence of illegal exchanges, remains of used and abused bodies… Alwine was far from certain she'd found it all, but she was sure she found entire chunks. She hoped that it was at least most.

When the summons to meet Aiden came three weeks after, Alwine was ready. She had the main protocol droid come along with her. Clad in her usual Knights Obsidian Strike armor, the two made their way up the elevator and walked through the halls.

Alwine hoped her work would be satisfactory to Aiden.


[member="Aiden"] [member="Naedira Darcrath"]

 

[Cameron Centurion]

The knock that rapped upon Aiden's door was largely unnecessary as he'd sensed the arrival of both Alwine and the Endelaan Warrior that escorted her. Naturally, he'd not so much sensed the protocol droid with her because it was inorganic and unfamiliar to him. "Enter," came the gruff command from the Viceroy of Stewjon.

Though this was the first face-to-face meeting he had taken with [member="Alwine Lechner"] since her arrival in the system some weeks ago, he'd certainly kept...tabs on things. Despite the young woman's competence and training, much of it a credit to her own dedication and drive, he had allocated resources both hidden and seen to account for her safety. Regardless of what either of them may or may not have heard during an awkward operation in support of the Confederacy, Aiden held the woman in high esteem for her usefulness to the larger objective.

However, he did feel partially guilty that they'd not had the time to interact on a more personal level. He'd made a promise to his brother...to help Alwine with her basic. Perhaps now that things were at least moving in a generally effective direction, Aiden could begin to decentralize certain government functions even further. It was one of the many topics with which he intended to speak with Alwine and gain her input. Stewjon was such a broken planet that the Sith Lord knew it would take nothing short of radical, progressive change. There was going to be resistance; a lot of resistance.

As Alwine entered, Aiden nodded to the warrior. Once the door was closed, the dark-skinned Sith motioned to a pair of comfortable chairs in front of his large desk. The cabin itself was sparsely decorated - containing only those items that had been there likely since the vessel's construction. "I am glad to see that you are well. So...how bad is it?"

The floor officially belonged to the Lupine. It was her chance to deliver any reports, make recommendations, or even ask questions.

 

[Alwine Daye]

She had not been to this room before. Alwine permitted herself to glance around before taking the seat that had been offered, motioning for the protocol droid to stand to her left. Of the Endelaan warrior, she had no say or claim regarding where he would be standing or what he had been doing.

A question had been asked.

"The corruption runs deep, all the way down to the foundations," Alwine answered, seeing no reason to waste time and babble around the subject, "Of the Lord caste, only three were found innocent, and that innocence lays in lack of proof of guilt. They have involved their own children in their misdeeds, sometimes children as young as ten; not as victims, but as predators. The women are involved as well, though it is harder to pin their involvement down as they worked from the shadows and had no social freedom to freely boast of their doings. No one worked alone though. Much as I would love to pin this solely on the caste of the Lords, the Warriors and the Farmers have been involved as well, and again, both men and women.

I am unsure of how you intend to tackle it. To kill them all and re-educate the youngest of the planet's children would be the easiest path. Lacking that, I would move all those accused of witchcraft that are not in a prison to be ushered away, preferably off-planet. They will not be safe. The people may nod in agreement and claim they will not try to hurt them, but they will be lying. Additionally, there is much distrust on Stewjon now. Former allies are now shadow enemies."

Alwine paused. There was nothing in her report that should have come as a surprise. The protocol droid carried the lists of evidence and proof, all that had been noted down. There was no reason to repeat what he would later give.

"I do not understand how you intend on correcting matters on Stewjon," she said after a long silence, "not without what would essentially amount to a genocide of its people."

[member="Aiden"]