The Power of One (Part 1 - Allies/Invite Only)

[Garza]

Hora - Hellyni Homeworld
Eleysium Kingdom

Hora was a planet of many kingdoms. Eleysium was unlike them, yet also like them. Many were thrown out. Many were cast from their systems merely upon looks, or life choices that should be absolute freedoms. A species of people who were more worried about creating the "perfect kingdom" rather than creating one that showed even the imperfections could become perfect. A mere hermit, or farmer or slave could one day become a God, or even more, and Ideal. Hence why we were hidden from the world, and even more so the Galaxy. Many royal members who had gone missing over the few years, either faked their passing, or were considered missing, had in fact moved here to become normal citizens, and receive a clean slate from which we all can be "reborn" from.

I had once been a Makrosian. A princess of the city-state in fact. That is why I am here now. I saw how... trivial these people, my people had become. Attempting to create a better society as a woman, as a princess, as a general, was difficult on its own. I dared to think someone who was of lesser stature than myself who attempted the same. I prayed to the gods that they didn't face a begrudging fate.

I wore slim pants, a tunic, and durasteel bracers. On my hip were my two pistols, and a lightsaber hanging from the small of my back in a holster. Walking into the chamber of the Council, All of them looked upon me. Every time I entered this room when in session, I attempted to withhold a smile. Seeing both sexes of our species in the same room, with an equal amount of say, and from many different castes, all be... peaceful.

I even brought good news.

"Nightstalker, what is this about?"
"Give her a moment Haleen. She just rode over a weeks time to get here."
"She called for us all to be here. As our Intelligence, she knows that she answers to us."
"I fear you are incorrect Sir, She has as much say as you do."

Holding my hand up for silence, I nodded my thanks to Adronikus. A rather soft spoken man who was wise beyond his years. His deeper voice was always soothing to hear. However, I answered Haleen, and her outspoken ways.

"There are no wars."
"Speak child! Wars?"
"Yes. It seems that a Noble of Spathi has taken over the kingdom of Makrosia without raising a single weapon. The two Factions are working together to get the other two to join them. The want to join all of the kingdoms to expand, or at the very least, make contact with various factions that an exiled individual named only as Atheus is affiliated with."

There was silence in the room. Finally the formal slave Ferinous spoke.

"I know of Atheus thus speak of."
"Pray tell master Ferinous."
"Well trained warrior within your previous kingdom m'lady. Took the name after he lost his entire unit to the Spathi-Makrosian war years back. After attacking them on his own, he was exiled from the very kingdom he fought for. Since then? He's been a ghost. Only recently resurfaced as the guard for this princess of Spathi you speak of."
"Ironic he would be defending a person from the nation that could be the cause of his exile. Any other information?"
"Titles himself 'Titan of War', and 'Voidwalker'. Otherwise, well known for his very destructive powers of the force. Highly trained. Even fought other force users across the galaxy. Though, those are rumors. Thus only half of it must be true."

I was silent for a moment. Debating over what I should do. Smiling, I knew what we needed to do.

"Time to cast your vote."
"Upon what? We have no idea what you plan Nightstalker."

Smiling, I walked over to the window that overlooked the landscape. In the distance, you could see two kingdoms. The two in question par fact. Raising my hands, I motioned both with either hand, then brought them together as I turned around.

"To combine all of our forces?"

Artemis' Invitation to the Jedi Order:

Spoiler

Council of the Jedi Order

Kingdoms upon the planet Hora are on the verge of greatness, or total destruction. Come to my aid. Come to defend those who deserve the inalienable rights they have, come to protect the people of my homeland from perishing and destroying themselves. I ask as a Master of the newly formed Jedi Order. Aid me, and you will be compensated for your trials and tribulations.

Intelligence Command Operative of the Eleysium Kingdom,
- Artemis Nightstalker

 

[Garza]

I could hear running footfalls out in the hall draw ever closer. Being one of the three people inside the Makrosian Throne room, Thalia, and the King of Spathi, her father, and I were speaking about relations between our nations, and those that are just outside our areas of influence. To the south, we had Attika. South east was Emporio. Both were not fond of our ideals and traditions. Somehow, we needed to convince them to work with us. All of our attentions were drawn to the running. It could only mean one thing. War.

In came what could only be explained as a squire. A young lad learning the ways of the Warrior traditions of Makrosia. He was still rather thin, and was likely new. The poor feelings I had for him. I knew what he was going to go through, and I wanted to prevent it. He came into to large room. Looking at the paintings of the previous leaders of this nation. And then looked to us. Quickly closing the distance.

"There... are...."
"Slow down. Take a second if need be."
"No. Spit it out! If its this important, speak or hold your peace."
"Osiris, Calm yourself, or I will force you to hold your own peace in your hands."
"Shut it. He speaks."

The young man took a moment to gather his thoughts, and words. Gulping down nervousness, He spoke quickly.

"At least 200 men march towards our city gates. They were about a click out last I saw them. They bore a flag I never seen before. As well as a white one."
​"Surrender already?"
"More like a Spathi Horse."
"Not a trick, a parley."
"A what?"
"They come to speak with us."
"Don't let them come in! You don-"
"We are trying to change aren't we not? Open the gates."
"Yes m'lady."

Bowing the young man left. It was then that my datapad blew up with notifications. I thought I couldn't contact the holonet out here? Looking at it, Osiris was puzzled with the device as I produced it. Looking it over, I read the notifications. They were all connections from my listing I had. Almost as though I had sent an invite to all of my allies and friends. Looking it over, I tried to stop it, but couldn't. They were sent. Instead, I read it. My mind drawing a blank on what to do. Thalia looked at me.

"Atheus?"
"Voidwalker, what is going on with that annoying noise?"
"A device that lets me talk to people over long distances, but it shouldn't be working on this planet."
"What is happening?"

Bringing up the information, I slid it across the table to Thalia. She picked it up. Reading it silently when she was prompted by her father nudging her to read it out loud for him.

"Friends and Allies,

I have need of you on Hora. Some of you may know me as a human, but in truth, I am a near human species from the planet of Hora. It is here that the various kingdoms have gone to war over years worth of my life. I was in fact, in some of these wars. I speak and send you this letter to ask a favor, and to repay some debts to aid me in defense of my planet. A fifth kingdom has emerged, and has unknown intentions. I ask for your aid, and hope you can come as soon as possible. I do not blame you if you do not wish to help me.

-Atheus"

Osiris looked at me. His brow bending and contorted in confusion, and slight anger. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Are you saying you did not just do this and send it?"
"I am good, but not that good to draw your attention away from me. Hell, that doesn't even sound like me. I would have left it short and sweet. Just a "I need your help. Explain when you're here."
"Whoever these people are, they can manipulate this technology, and have the means to do so. We need to be careful. We need to see, and talk to them. Figure out why they did this, and what they want."

Thalia turned off her device as it started to beep as well.

"I thought today was going to be my slow day. No rest for the wicked I guess."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was drinking some tea like always, working in her office when her datapad beeped, giving her notice that she had a message. It was listed as urgent. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she opened it and read it through. [member="Atheus"] had told her about his world more than once. She even got to meet Thalia, a lady and future Queen that was under his charge. He had thought that it would be good for her to meet with another Queen and in some ways it was. But Kay was still trying to heal from the trauma caused by her abduction.

Yet Hora didn't take too kindly to strangers. They hardly took to others in a different continent, let alone from another world. So being invited--no implored to come meant that it had to be dire. No warships were asked for and bringing them would give the rulers there the impression that they were a threat. That was the last thing that she wanted.

She set down her tea and typed out a quick reply, sending it when she was finished.

~Atheus,

I am coming. I owe you a lot for helping me on my journey. Just send me the co-ordinates of where to meet you and I should be there in a few standard days.

Lady Kay Arenais
Queen of Commenor
High Queen of Commenor Systems Alliance~

It had been a while since she had seen Atheus. She looked down to her tummy which had started showing signs of her pregnancy over a month ago. She still had a few months left, so there was no reason to deny her travel or work or visiting her friends. But it did mean that she needed more protection. Her staff and her husband [member="Veiere Arenais"] wouldn't have it any other way.

She picked up her commlink and sent word to [member="Cassius Droma"] and [member="Ulic Adraya"] individualy, but with the same message to each: ~This is Lady Kay. I need to go on a diplomatic mission. Could you come to my office in the Palace please?~

Hopefully at least one of them would be available. Kay picked up her tea and had a sip, her eyes dropping to her tummy briefly as the child inside her moved. It was the strangest feeling, as though muscles were rolling around on top of eachother. Thankfully it didn't keep her up at night. Only the matters of state did that.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius Droma had been staying on Commenor the past few days, locked away in his small quarters. He still hadn’t completely opened up about what had happened at the battle with the Empire, not even to Master Jade. All he had told them was that he had been scuffed up a little, but that he was fine. He was still technically on leave, and he planned to use up as much time as he could in order to make sure he was ready to come back when it was over.

The only light in the room came through the slatted blinds of the floor to ceiling window. Meditation didn’t really help, even though it should have. Clearing his mind, focusing on the present… all of it had no effect. Instead, he could still hear the voices calling out to him, the massive amount of life being swept away like pebbles in a landslide. So, he would read as much as he could on cultures and history, like he always did.

A notification popped up in the upper right hand side of the screen. He’d mostly been ignoring messages, but this one was from Lady Kay. Frowning, he accessed his messages and read the one from the Queen of Commenor. She was going on a mission, and she wanted him to accompany her, no doubt to pilot The Free Lady, as he had done before.

The thought of getting behind the controls of a cockpit made him uneasy. He hadn’t flown since the battle, and had taken various shuttles and transports to make his way back to Commenor. The pilot knew that it wasn’t his piloting skills that lost the battle, but he couldn’t help but think about it just by even associating with a ship.

Sighing, he stood and walked into the refresher, washing his hands and throwing some water on his face. He looked up in the mirror. The tiny pockmarks that had been scars were finally fading into just lighter spots of discoloration, indicating the new skin that was growing there. His neck was a similar story. The miracles of advanced bacta – no one would be able to tell he had been badly injured unless someone got very close to him, and even then, they would have to know that the marks weren’t there in the first place.

He met his own green gaze in the mirror and sighed. Yeah. It was time to go.

Minutes later, he stepped out of his quarters, wearing the Jedi tunic that he typically wore for missions like this one. His lightsaber hung from his left hip, and his A180 blaster was strapped to his right thigh. He’d been becoming better with the saber, but still felt the need to carry the blaster in case things got difficult.

Coming to Kay’s door, he lightly pressed the call button. “It’s Cassius,” he spoke.

[member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Atheus"] | [member="Xander Carrick"] | [member="Ulic Adraya"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay had started packing for her journey. Who knew how long she'd be? Hora wasn't exactly close, so it'd take some time to get there and some time to get back, especially while on board the Free Lady. The smaller vessel wasn't the quickest model for hyperspace travel of great distances, but it was her chosen mode of travel.

[member="Cassius Droma"] was the first to come to her door. Kay hurried down the cast iron spiral staircase that brought her down from her bedchambers to her office. At one point she almost slipped, but a firm hand on the railing helped her to maintain her balance. The last thing that she needed was to fall.

After taking a breath when she reached the bottom, Kay reached her door and hit the button to allow the door to open. Her smile faded slightly as she felt the weight that he carried with him. She stepped to the side a bit. "Thank you for coming. Care to step inside?" As he did so, she invited him to sit down if he wished, though she herself wanted to remain standing. "My friend [member="Atheus"] has asked for help on his homeworld of Hora. Strangers aren't usually welcomed, so I wouldn't want to miss out on this opportunity to show that foreigners aren't something to fear. You are the best pilot that I have for the Free Lady. Will you come with me?"

She hadn't talked to him about her Force Sensitivity after she had let it be known to him on Kwenn Station, but nor did he ask her about it. She wanted to talk to inquire about what he was going through, having heard whispers of him having come back from battle. But not everyone liked to talk about such things. Maybe a quiet mission was just what he needed to help him to recover.

[member="Ulic Adraya"] [member="Xander Carrick"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius dipped his head low as he entered the office, muttering a ‘Thank you’ under his breath as he did so. This was one of the few times he had ever been in the head of state’s office – he had only been outside of it before the skirmish over Yutan. It was nice, clean, and elegant, just like the occupier of the space. The young Jedi pilot elected to stand, clasping his hands behind his back and maintaining a stoic, almost somber posture.

Typically, he was much more… casual. Still uptight, according to a lot of the smugglers and freighter pilots he’d met in his day, but there was something else. As if he had built a wall around himself, and didn’t want anyone to see inwards. One could mistake him for a military officer – all he needed was a uniform.

Something else was different about her, too. Cassius knew that the Lady Kay was good at hiding her Force sensitivity, and he hadn’t seen much of her since then. His gaze moved down to her stomach, and his eyebrow raised. It wasn’t flat, like usual. No, there was a tell-tale bump there. A child. Lady Kay was with child, and he could feel the smallest kernel of the Force inside of it. He’d be sure to congratulate her once the pleasantries and business were over with.

She got right down to the point, just the way Cassius liked it. The planet of… Hora, was it? Whoever they were, they needed help, and as per usual, Kay wanted to travel light. He might have been more flattered if Kay had complimented his flying skills, but the young showed no signs if he was.

Sighing, he looked off to the side, thinking for a moment. He could sit in his quarters on Commenor for the rest of his leave time, feeling sorry for himself, or he could try and get back into the swing of things.

“You can count on me, ma’am,” he said, looking back to her. “When do we leave?”

[member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Atheus"] | [member="Xander Carrick"] | [member="Ulic Adraya"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Xander Carrick"]

Somewhere in space

She was drifting, after a few field trips. All there was was her, her StealthX and her droid, R2-82. Despite the vents of past weeks and the wealth of knowledge she had been devouring her views were still unchanged. She had dabbled here and there in the darker side of the force. But for the most part, she still considered herself a Jedi, even if on the fringes now, and beginning to become marginalized.

Beep-Booooop

"What is it R2?"

Beep-Boop-Bop

"Patch it through."

She sighed, leaning back in her seat. She was somewhere near the planet where the message had originated. With no particular purpose she had simply shut down and sat in space, thinking, and meditating, drinking in the life essence of the black and far away planets. Then the message scrolled across the HUD of her helmet and she nodded, stiffening in the seat. Her fist slammed the engine safety, whirling up her drives.

"Send a reply to Artemis. Padawan Trask is en route."

Odd that a Jedi message we rerouted through the beacon, rather than have its own team assigned to it. Must have been a free pick up. She tapped a few times through her maps on the Nav Computer, locked the coordinates, and punched the Hyperdrive......

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay lowered her arm to cover her belly as she saw [member="Cassius Droma"] looking down at it, almost as though just her arm doing in front of it could hide it. But she caught the flicker of realization in his eyes. He knew. That could mean one of two things; either he would stop her from going or never leave her side while they were gone.

For a moment she wasn't quite sure of what course that he'd take, most especially as he merely sighed. But then he spoke up, having resigned himself to do what she had asked of him. Kay gave him a little nod i thanks, however her gaze was full of concern for him. As he was under her employ, he was under her care as well. Perhaps they'd be able to talk about it on their journey.

"In a few hours time. It'll take us some time to get there. I just didn't want to bring the Queensguard, even though it could get us there quicker. The people of Hora wouldn't react in a favourable way. So prepare to be gone for at least 7 standard days." Hopefully it wouldn't be much longer than that. Yet she didn't know of just what the situation that [member="Atheus"] needed her for entailed.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Seven days. That would certainly be a trip – one that he would have to pack for. Going on a longer trip could be nice. Kay had not mentioned whether or not they would be in any type of combat situation, but she had called him as a pilot, not a warrior, of which his skills in the former were much more formidable. If she wanted warriors, she’d have asked for warriors.

“I’ll pack and start prepping the Free Lady for launch,” Cassius said, nodding in affirmation. He figured the sooner they got underway, the better. She could fill him in on what Hora was like and what to expect. Turning on his heel, Cassius headed for the door. Just before he reached it, though, he stopped, turning halfway back to the Queen. “My lady?” the ghost of a smile could be seen on his lips. “Congratulations.”

With that, he stepped out the door, it swishing closed behind him.

A few hours later, he was looking over the modified YT-1300 light freighter for any scrapes or dings that could prove hazardous for atmospheric flight. Strangely enough, it reminded him of the time he’d been duped by a replica of it. It was an experience he wasn’t too apt to remember. He’d already filed a flight plan with the CSA, and the security forces would be sure to clear a wide berth for them during their departure time. He’d already thrown his things into the guest cabin in one of the bunks.

Once he was satisfied that they were fueled up and ready, Cassius stood waiting by the entrance ramp.

[SIZE=11pt][member="Lady Kay"][/SIZE]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded as [member="Cassius Droma"] set about to prepare the Free Lady for the long journey. No doubt they'd have to stop for fuel at times, but that'd be alright. A brow was raised as he paused at the doorway, lingering there for a moment. She smiled as he congratulated her, bowing her head in thanks. How did he know? Her gaze dropped to her tummy. Maybe she was bigger than she realized. An announcement will have to be made at some point. Perhaps after they return from Hora.

After Cassius left, Kay headed up the spiral staircase to her bedchambers so that she could continue to pack. It was too bad that [member="Veiere Arenais"] couldn't come on this trip, but he was away on a trip of his own to Coruscant. She hoped that he would have luck over there.

A few hours later, she was on her way to the Free Lady, followed by her guards and Olivia. The older woman was going over a few things, handing Kay a couple of datapads that would no doubt keep her busy during the trip. The two chit-chatted back and forth the whole way there until she was at the entrance ramp. Kay bowed her head to Cassius and stepped inside. Her belongings were already on board in her quarters and right away she could smell the tea brewing inside. She headed to her quarters and slipped inside, stashing the datapads in a drawer and pouring herself a cup of tea. She then headed over to the cockpit and settled herself in the co-pilot seat. "Alright Cassius, we're good to go."

She'd wait until they were off the ground and well on their way before she'd say anything more. Almost as though she wanted to be sure that there was no easy way out fir him to avoid a conversation. "How're you doing these days? We haven't been around eachother much as of late."

[member="Atheus"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius had already done most of the pre-flight checks before Lady Kay had arrived, and the engine was idling quietly as he was waiting for her. He gave curt nods to Kay and Olivia as they boarded, and he fell into step behind them, closing the ramp. Getting to the cockpit first, he did the last of the preflight checks and announced to air traffic control that they were getting ready to depart. They, of course, had the whole sky to themselves.

Kay came to the cockpit with her tea, and Cassius raised a brow at that. A challenge, it would be, to try and take off and get into the atmosphere without having her spill it. Regardless, Cassius steadily lifted the Free Lady from the landing pad and eased her out of the hangar bay. It was times like this that Cassius appreciated flying a vessel that was under constant upkeep by the best mechanics in the sector. He’d never heard engines purr so nicely.

He pulled in the landing gear, and soon enough they were at a steady incline up towards the atmosphere, not wanting to take it too fast. The Commenor head of state asked him how he was doing, as if it were some sort of casual inquiry. He huffed a small breath out of his nose as he looked down at the controls. In the back of his mind, he could hear the roar of a TIE fighter.

“I’ve been keeping busy,” he said after a moment, straightening up and monitoring the sensors. He wanted to dodge the question as long as possible. “Jedi training, running patrols, going on my own little excursions, the like. I found I’ve really been getting into archaeology.” Nar Shaddaa and Vjun came to mind, both places he’d rather not visit again.

“How about you? Things have been quiet as of late, no?”

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

She sipped her tea, quite confident in his skills as a pilot. The take off was smooth as she had expected, so there was no worries about her tea being spilled at all.

Kay nodded as [member="Cassius Droma"] gave her the update on what he's been up to. However she grew concerned. It wasn't so much about what he had said, but how he said it. The manner in which he spoke, how his body was more stiff than normal, they were all signs that something wasn't right with him. Hopefully it wasn't the fact that he found out that she was Force Sensitive. Usually when people found out, they tended to get angry. She even got arrested for it once. As much as [member="Veiere Arenais"] wanted her to embrace her gifts, she just couldn't do it. Not when people hated Force Users so much, especially tjose in positions of power.

"Quiet in a way, yes....We haven't had any attacks or hints of attack in some time. Everything's getting back to normal, which I suppose is a good thing, given the change that will happen soon." Another sip of her tea was taken. "Speaking of change, you seem....different. Are you upset with me?"

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius sighed when she took notice of his change in behavior. Was it really that obvious? The smallest of chuckles escaped him as she inquired as to whether or not it had anything to do with her. “No, no…” he quickly said, shaking his head. They were reaching the exosphere now – they’d be going into hyperspace soon. “It’s just that…”

He internally debated on whether or not to tell her the whole truth. It was still painful just thinking about what had happened. The time he’d spent on Voss recovering had done him some good, but there were certainly some demons he needed to tackle. A small voice in his head reminded him that she’d trusted him at Kwenn Station when she had revealed her Force Sensitivity to him – a state secret, essentially. It was only fair that he returned the favor.

“I was injured,” Cassius said. “Badly.” He brought up the navicomputer and began plotting a course to Hora that went around Sith territory. Being able to do a task he was good at and familiar with helped talking about his problem. “You know I volunteered to go on a tour of duty as a pilot for the Silver Jedi. I was at sector 27-AJ when the Empire attacked it. I barely made it out alive. My physical injuries… they’ve mostly healed.”

Course plotted. All that was left to do was send them into hyperspace. “The psychological ones, though… I’ve still got a few things to work through.”

Pushing the silver handle forward, they entered hyperspace.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

The chuckle, followed by the affirmation that [member="Cassius Droma"] wasn't made at her made her feel a lot better. However that didn't lessen her concern for him.

Kay sipped her tea, looking out of the viewport instead of staring at the man after she had put him on the spot. She didn't need to make him anymore uncomfortable than he already was. Hopefully by the end of this journey, he'd be better.

To hear that Cassius was badly injured came as a surprise. And as to which Empire was the attacker, she wasn't certain. Both were allies of Commenor however, in some respects. How long that would be, she had no idea. The mere fact that they were neutral for this long said something about their strength from influence. Or it could just be that there was nothing for them to offer to the larger governments out there. Regardless, one of her own had been hurt and she was certain to be sure that he'd be brought back to health.

Once he pushed the lever to bring them into hyperspace, Kay sipped her tea and settled into her chair more, almost as though she could be absorbed by it. "I know what that's like. I'm still recovering from my abduction. Most of the time I'm okay. But there's certain types of places and certain people that I avoid. And the nightmares...I'm still plagued by them. Veiere says that they'll go away and not to try to force my recovery. So I'll give you the same advice. But if you ever need to vent or talk it out, I'm here for you. Okay?" And she meant it. Maybe it would help her out too.

 

[Cassius Droma]

He nodded as she offered her support. “Thanks,” he said, keeping his eyes on the controls, even though there wasn’t much to do at this point in hyperspace. “Guess I should get used to it, though, right? Can’t imagine it’ll be the last time I stare death in the face.” Sleeping had started to become easier, but he had to close his eyes when they had jumped to hyperspace. The frightening sound of his malfunctioning hyperdrive still haunted him, as it was the last thing he’d heard before waking up in a bacta tank on a medical frigate.

There were other things that he wanted to ask Lady Kay about, like her Force sensitivity, and the fact that she was with child, but he figured those could wait until another day. Or, in time, the subject will come up naturally in conversation. Now, though, he wanted to focus on the mission at hand.

Using one of his monitors to bring up the HoloNet, Cassius looked up the planet Hora. There was basic information on flora and fauna, hyperdrive coordinates and the like… but he needed more. “So, tell me about where we’re going,” Cassius said, sitting back in the chair. “You said they don’t like strangers… are they isolated?” From the scarcity of the information he could find, he’d have to conclude that they probably were.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay stared out of the viewport, watching the stars stream past in lines of white while she sipped her tea. No, it wouldn't be last time that [member="Cassius Droma"] would stare death in the face. She wished that she could say otherwise, but that would be a lie, most especially while he worked for her. Trouble always had a way of finding her, no matter where she hid.

Cassius changed the subject then, asking her about Hora. If only she had a lot of information for him. Truth was, all that she ever knew about it was what [member="Atheus Voidwalker"] had told her. "Well, I don't really know a lot about it. They are isolated, but even from eachother. Every continent seems to distrust and fight the other. I figured that I would get to go there sometime, but not so soon. I think that some parts of it are run by a Monarchy system, while others might not be. I'm not...entirely sure that they like the idea of women in power, but there is one young woman that Atheus is teaching. She's set to be Queen. Whether or not that's still the case...I don't know. But we'll find out when we get there."

 

[Cassius Droma]

He pursed his lips in thought, looking over the information as Lady Kay told him what she knew of the system. It made sense. Although, one had to wonder, if Hora was so fractured, why hadn’t any of the factions reached out for help? Perhaps the whole planet believed in keeping the outsiders out. Then again, he and Lady Kay were now on their way. Perhaps other outsiders, ones that would be allied against them, were also on their way.

“Hopefully we don’t get blown out of the sky the moment we hit their space,” he muttered, making a mental note to raise shields and prime weapons the moment they exited hyperspace.

“Did Atheus say what he needed help with?” Cassius asked, trying to get as much information as possible. She might not have known this, but Cassius felt a small debt of gratitude to the Dark Jedi. He had been the one that pulled him from the dying Beorni and shielded him from the blast of the droid on Commenor. If it hadn’t been for him, he probably would’ve been injured. He’d saved him from a bacta soak, essentially.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay hadn't thought about them getting blown out of the sky upon arrival, at least not until [member="Cassius Droma"] had mentioned it. Surely [member="Atheus Voidwalker"] wouldn't allow that to happen, now would he? It was an odd thought to begin with, but one that she figured was probably common amongst those that fought in a lot of battles.

She wasn't one of those types.

His next question had her think back to the message that she was given. "He requested aid, saying that a fifth continent now threatened them and that they needed help. Given my history with diplomacy and negotiations, it didn't surprise me that he asked for my help. He asked for the help from all of his allies and friends" The call out wasn't very specific. But more than likely some of those that were sent the message wouldn't show up.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius nodded as she explained the possible reasons for her being called to the far-off planet. “Smart,” he remarked. “Although they don’t like outsiders, you’re a mostly objective party. You have no bias, other than being allied with Atheus.” That could, of course, complicate things, but as it stood, it seemed like one of the best chances for unification on this divided planet sat right next to him.

The trip had indeed lasted awhile – Cassius hadn’t slept in that type of bunk in a long time. He’d set an alarm on his chronometer to wake him up fifteen minutes before they were due to come out of hyperspace. It would allow him to run diagnostics and shake the grogginess from his system so that he could he focused while flying. It was one of the reasons why he never drank alcohol – he was so used to having to be alert and ready at a moment’s notice, that he never picked up the habit.

Whenever Lady Kay joined him in the cockpit, Cassius would be sitting in the pilot’s seat, checking for any sort of astronomical anomalies in their way and doing some sensor sweeps in the space ahead of them. “We should be dropping out of hyperspace soon,” he said, flicking a switch above him to prep the shield buffers to charge as soon as they came out of hyperspace.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Garza]

Riding upon a speeder, I held a rifle in my arms. As did the entirety of the army standing behind me. Walking towards the city. We expected some kind of resistance. Yet, the doors were open. Guards carried their own rifles, and sabers held at the ready should we choose to attack. They were letting us in? No questions? We began to come closer and closer. Reaching the city walls in a few minutes at the marching pace.

My mind wandered. This was the city that I had been born in. The family that was supposed to rule over this kingdom. While I was not the direct heir to the throne, my step brothers were. Our father was the same. Our father held no regard for me. I was a ghost within the walls. I remember escaping the tower I was stuck in to go to the military yards. Watching the boys train with weapons and wrestle each other. I always wanted to do that. Yet always on my mind was the outcome of my mother and Brother. They had been cast out after my father learned of his birth. He didn't want his bastard son to be the one who had claim to the throne. HIs other two sons being older than he, yet also dying while being with the Silver Jedi Order.

While we never fully supported them, it was clear we had allies with them. That was until Atheus came along. Threatening the SJO, and even making ties with other factions while away. We only learned of this after he came back. Who was this Atheus character? No clue, but I was going to find out soon. Speaking of, I was hoping he was here. Then I could speak to him.

Looking up from my daze. We walked into and through the streets. The rest of the military staying back outside the walls, it was only myself and the council of thee fifth kingdom Eleysium. Looking up to the main building that was at the very center of the city, I saw three individuals. Two men, and one female. Presumed the Queen of Makrosia, Thalia, Osiris her father, and of course, Atheus. The man covering his face with a mask. Even from here, I could feel the torment in the man's heart. He didn't trust us, but knew when to have an open mind. I could feel his emotions get confused when he saw my face. Simply looking at him, I also felt something. Shaking my head, I walked up with the council. Making my way up the steps, and to come face to face with this other council.

[member="Cassius Droma"], [member="Lady Kay"], [member="Karren Trask"], [member="Atheus Voidwalker"],