The Christophsis Rebellion

[Angelus Deus]

Angelus Deus stared out the cockpit window of his personal vessel, provided to him by Techno Union. Since he joined with them, they had been good to him; providing him with additional training, funds and resources. In return, the Union received a small tax from his total earnings, as well as access to his own assets, knowledge and abilties.

He tapped his cane absently on the floor as he observed the planet in front of him. Christophsis. He'd been brought here due to a plea by one of the Oligarchs ruling the planet. Apparently the native population, the Oligarch Council's main workforce, had decided to protest against their working conditions and the Chairman and other major players on the Council had retaliated...violently.

Usually it wouldn't have been any of Deus' concern, but the man that had reached out to him had been a friend of his parents, back on Alderaan, before a civil war had broken out and almost destroyed the Nobility. He claimed he was a vassal of the Deus family, and was seeking his Lord's protection for himself and his workers against the more aggressive members of the Council. Since his parents' deaths in the war, Angelus had been the Lord Deus, but he hadn't taken much interest in the title or role it provided him in the war-ravaged province. As soon as he'd been able, he'd left the planet to explore other horizons while a loyal retainer acted in his stead.

However, considering this oligarch's friendship with his parents...and the fact that the Techno Union had a vested interest in Christophsis, he decided to take the matter in hand.

"Inform the fleet to land over there," He told his pilot, pointing to a large rural area close enough to the Capital and large enough to hold his small force, "Discreetly." He added, his head turning left and right to glance out both sides of the cockpit window where half a dozen ships were lingering to follow his lead.

He'd left a message with the Executive Council to make them aware of his actions, but had only taken a small force with him; mostly people loyal to his Household that had decided to travel with him, and one or two merc groups. He'd decided that until he'd had a chance to size up the opposition on the Council, he'd hold off getting the Union any more involved.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

There was a small matter of concern on Christophsis. But like all small matters, it had the potential to grow into something larger if not watched carefully. Therefore, Tmoxin considered the message sent by Count Deus regarding the situation on the greenish crystal-covered planet.

A worker uprising... the oligarchs in power were worried... protests turned violent...

"Beulah, ready The Sovereign Stingray and cancel the rest of my meetings. We're headed to Christophsis."

"Yes, Miss Temi."

She heard whisperings that she was next in line for Techno Union Foreman, that her good friend Draco was too overstretched across his various responsibilities, not to mention the conflict of interest between the Executive Council, ArmaTech and the Obsidian Order. While Tmoxin was extremely busy flying back and forth to her flagship companies on Kamino and Lok, the Christophsis situation wasn't something she wanted to ignore.

She rose from her office at Morpho Pharmaceuticals and paged Beulah once more, "Find me information on Count Deus. I will review that once we are on our way." Her personal pilot Lt. Flaa was off on a First Order assignment, so she borrowed a pilot from one of the Morpho shipping crews.

[member="Angelus Deus"]

 

[Angelus Deus]

Deus sat quietly in his office aboard the vessel, staring absent-mindedly at an interative galaxy map, having left the pilot and co-pilot to order and supervise the fleet's landing next to a relatively small village on the outskirts of the Capital. Running a hand through his hair and then rubbing his tired face with it, he blinked a few times as a knocking came from the closed door.

"My lord, reporting that the fleet has touched down. Requesting permission to set up base." His co-pilot's raised voice came from the otherside of the thick door.

The lord in question thought for a second before giving a nod of his head, before remembering he couldn't be seen, "Permission granted, Ensign. Also, send someone to the village; we've bought enough supplies but if we're to call down more people, then we need to know we won't be left wanting."

"Yes, my lord." Came the prompt reply he could tell was already moving away from the door.

"Oh, and get Tace Milon on the com. You should be able to reach him on The Windrider yacht orbiting the Capital. He brought us all here for a reason - let's find out what support we have on this Council."

"Right away, my lord."

With that said, Deus leaned back in his chair to wait, twirling his cane around his fingers. After a few minutes wherein he heard his people on the ship come to life and begin offloading, the Holo-com turned itself on in the corner, showing an aging man with a bald patch, a crooked back and a monacle.

"My lord Deus; thank you for coming."

"I didn't have much of a choice in the matter, did I?" Deus replied, standing up and walking over. "We've just landed outside the Capital and we're unloading our things. What's the situation looking like?"

"Well, I've done some discreet questioning-"

"-Which actually means you've been as subtle as a Reek during mating season. After this conversation, you're to move to my location for protection...and before you argue, I'll remind you that that was your primary reason for contacting me in the first place." Deus states, shaking his head slightly with a frown.

"If my lord wills it." Milon confirms, before continuing his report, "We do have the support of three other council members. Unfortately, the four of us are the newest and most minor on the council."

"And what does that give us in terms of man-power?"

"From us four...I'd say around 3000 droids and maybe 7000 employees. There's probably a fair few guerilla groups already established out in the rural areas by now, but I couldn't guess at how many. But we're not equipped for war. We have enough gear to perhaps equip half that number, and even that isn't exactly high-tech stuff."

"Don't convern yourself with equipment. I should be able to pull a few strings and get what we need within a week. What we should be concerned about is escalation."

"Escalation?"

"We start carrying semi-automatics, they buy automatics. We start wearing armor, they buy armor piercing rounds. What are we going up against?"

"They're probably around three times our number, and most of their strength lies in Droids; that's why they didn't have any issues with shooting down the work forces - because most of them aren't theirs, they're ours!"

"Fortunately for you; this isn't the first war I've fought. Give me a minute and I'm good. Give me an hour; I'm great...This could be a lengthy conflict; so I can guarantee you they're about to see something new." The Count let out a breath, his mind already running through lists and ideas, "Get yourself over to the base, now. We'll discuss next steps when you get here."

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]​

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

The only information Tmoxin could locate about the Count was that he was a noble of Alderaanian descent. There was nothing else remarkable about the man, aside from his land holdings and relatively young age. Upon landing in Chaleydonia and experiencing unwanted flashbacks about the peace summit held here between the Techno Union and the Hutt Cartel, which resulted in Tmoxin being licked by Sempra the Hutt and Draco Vereen declaring war on the Hutts, she holocalled her own contact on the Council to apprise her of the situation. His name was Baron Taffir, and he happened to be one of the Council's retaliators.

"Miss Temi, it appears that Count Deus has brought in his own forces to deal with the uprisings. But I fear that he will use those forces on us."

"What makes you think so?"

"I have agents out in the field. It's fairly obvious."

"And what do you propose that I do about this?"

"This is an off-worlder. He is intruding into our affairs. What if he attempts to break up the Council, and the maker forbid, establish a minimum wage for the workers and all of the other rights they've been blathering on about?"

Tmoxin sighed and ran a hand through her red locks. "I will talk to him."

"And tell him to stand down?"

"Baron, if you please just let me investigate the situation first," she said in a firmer voice that warned him not to test her Hapan side.

After much protest Baron Taffir acquiesed. Now to find Count Deus. She finally sent him a direct message.

//encrypted incoming transmission...

To: Count Deus
From: Tmoxin Temi

I am visiting Christophsis on behalf of the Executive Council amid reports that you have brought a small contingency along with you to address the situation with the Oligarch Council. I request a meeting with you before you enact any plans, so I can provide direction based on the Techno Union's needs. Please send coordinates, and I'll arrive shortly.

//transmission ending...

Tmoxin had no real loyalty to Baron Taffir, but at the same time, she didn't need the situation to escalate any further. She would hear Count Deus's side of the matter upon receiving a message back.

[member="Angelus Deus"]

 

[Angelus Deus]

Deus was pacing outside the command tent which had been set up, taking in the fresh air and staring up at the sky. He came to a stop and took a breath; if he concerntrated, he could make out birdsong inbetween the hustle and bustle his men were making completing the camp. He twirled his cane in his right hand absently, glancing around him, just as an aide rushed up from behind him.

"My lord! A message has come through for you on your datapad."

The Count remained quiet as he took the device and read through the message, a frown emerging on his face. "Hm," was his only response, before sending a quick reply back.

//encrypted incoming transmission...

To: Tmoxin Temi
From: Count Deus

It would be an honour to play host to you, my lady, to discuss current events. My encampment is about 16 klicks west from the Capital. You can't miss it. I look forward to finally meeting you in person.

//transmission ending...

He read through his reply again before sending it. Polite and cordial. Always polite and cordial. He glanced up as someone else marched up to him. This time is was Isard Teller, the slicer on his current staff.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry, my lord," was all he said as he passed across his own datapad.

Deus frowned again, something he'd been doing a lot since he'd arrived on this planet, and glanced down at the screen. It was a holo-recording - from a security feed, from the grain of the footage. He tappped the screen to play it.

"This happened five minutes ago." Teller stated.

The footage flickered on. The camera was placed on a tall building, overlooking a large white yacht. In big bold letters, the back read The Windrider. Milon's vessel. Deus instantly got a sense of forboding, and glanced east toward the city, as if he could see what had happened from his location. He turned his attention back to the screen. The ship was currently orbiting the city in large, slow circles but it then broke from it's pattern and continued on moving in a straight line. Just as it was almost sailing off camera, the hull exploded outward, raining debris down onto the centre below it. From the hull, it began a chain reaction and set off the port and starboard engines and fuel cells. The yacht continued forward, but gravity also took over, sending it careening off camera. He watched a second more but could only make out a flash of light from where the direction it had gone in.

"I see," He said aloud as he tapped the holo-recording off. He passed the device back to it's owner, "Send a copy across to me."

"Of course, my lord. After I saw it...I did some digging," The Slicer told him, already pressing buttons on the pad to send the clip over, "I know you probably don't need me to say it, but confirmation is key. The workers don't have this kind of ordinance."

"You're right, of course. You didn't need to confirm it." Deus told him as he turned away and strolled back into his command tent, "Prepare everyone for company, Captain. We have an honoured Union Executive on her way to see us. This should be...interesting."

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]​

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin, riding in a luxury speeder, made her way to the location outside of the capital. She also received a news report about the yacht crash, but no holofeed or other details than what was broadcast to her by an HNN monitor, located in front of her in the speeder. The Hapan executive looked out of the window as she traveled, marveling at the beauty of the crystal landscape. I'll have to pick up some jewelry or a gift for someone, she thought. Perhaps after meeting with Count Deus.

Finally, the Dark Jedi Knight arrived at the encampment. Tmoxin had brought along two of her Mirari bodyguard droids. It wasn't that long ago that the Blood Monarch had a bounty on her head. And it was only months ago that an assassin had broke into the Morpho Pharmaceuticals office and executed her lead researcher, essentially right in front of her. She was spared, but both incidents had rattled the Hapan enough that she never traveled without a security detail.

She hailed a bystander who happened to be the Captain. "I'm Tmoxin Temi, here to see Count Deus," she said, adjusting her black jacket and pencil straight skirt. She wore towering black stilettos that appeared impossible to walk in, but the red-haired CEO did so quite gracefully.

[member="Angelus Deus"]

 

[Angelus Deus]

Angelus was sat, alone, in his command tent behind a large wooden desk. On it was nothing but two small glasses and a large but weak bottle of whiskey. He stared unseeingly at the closed entrance, his fingers drumming a gentle, random beat onto the table next the closest glass. He let out a long sigh and closed his eyes for a moment.

He may not have known Tace Milon very well, but he had been a friend and subordinate of his parents. Their death's had been a hard pill to swallow, and this was another proverbial nail in the coffin. Another lost piece of their legacy. After he'd been made Lord, he'd had no inclination to take on the duties and responsibilities that position held, so he'd left them to others more suited in his Household. He'd been made aware that during the years since the civil war, his vassals had left their homeworld for one reason or another, now spread out through the Systems, but he made no effort to keep track of them.

He made a mental note to perhaps look into rectifying that mistake, and then opened his eyes as he heard a finely tuned engineer enter their area of camp and quietly shut down. Pushing himself up from his chair, he moved around the large desk and pushed open the tent flap as he heard a women's voice asking after him.

"My dear Lady Temi," He said quietly, but loud enough for her to hear from her position by the Captain, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, and I'm pleased you could make it. Did you have any problems finding the place?" He asked as he hung out of the tent, giving a slight nod into it to indicate she should proceed him, one arm keeping the flap open for her.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]​

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Count Deus greeted her immediately when she ducked through the tent opening. He was cordial, but a little standoffish. He did not fumble, blush or compliment her beauty as some men did when they met her. And this was preferrable to the Hapan executive as she preferred to be on equal ground anyway.

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance," Tmoxin said. "I made my way here quite easily." She glanced around the space, noticing his desk, the whiskey, the datapad and other telltale items. She was a former Stormtrooper commander for the One Sith and knew military preparations when she saw them.

"This is all so operational, Count," the red-haired Dark Jedi said, wandering around the tent. "Are all of the forces you brought really necessary?" Nothing escaped her shrewd, brown eyes. She took everything in, including the Count's Force presence. Well now, that's quite a surprise, she thought. Wasn't expecting that.

"I received a call from..." Oh by the eternal core, what was his name again? She thought for a moment, trying to remain composed. "Baron Taffir. He was worried."

Truthfully he sounded terrified, but there was no need to insult the Baron in front of the Count who she barely knew.

[member="Angelus Deus"]