The touch of Thalassa

[Baroness Magrath]

Countless centuries upon a myriad of worlds, the ocean was the greatest mystery and for some worlds it still is. Those with a multitude of nations found themselves fighting among one another, crossing oceans and claiming dominion over them in large vessels and vast armada. Now though the fleet was something that turned towards the heavens, streaking across the void and belching fire upon one another. For many a world, those that were not primitive, they held the defense they needed to ensure that none save those permitted touched their grounds.

She knew though that if anyone came, the system would be hard pressed to keep others away. Her eyes fell upon the map before her, the largest beast gazing across the void at them. The Silver Sanctum Coalition; though something about them did not sit right with her. They offered aid, friendship and all manner of gifts and yet seemed to desire nothing in return. That alone was enough cause for concern, and she knew that her duty was to protect the worlds within the system.

What could their vessels do though? Outdated, ancient and near the point of collapse. The fleet that protected the system had a hard enough time as it was against pirates when they came calling; the last raid being the bearer of bad news. Most of their vessels were being repaired as quickly as possible, whilst others had been lost, a loss which was unacceptable.

With a heavy sigh escaping her lips she stood from her hunched position over the table. This was behavior uncharacteristic of the woman who was usually so poised and mindful. As she began to pace her table shook slightly, the small curios and knickknacks beginning to vibrate across the table. Her fear and anger getting the better of her as her emotions began to take charge.

It wasn't until the wine glass tumbled upon the floor with a loud crash was she pulled back to the moment at hand. The door quickly shooting open as two guards rushed in, with a droid following behind.

"It's fine. Just a small accident."

The guards saluted, though they still had to go through their usual routine of moving through the room, carefully checking to insure that all it was; was truly just the wine glass. Slipping down into her seat, she placed her fingers upon her temple, softly rubbing as she sighed once more. The droid moving from the room and just as quickly replaced by a mouse droids soft squeaking and beeping as it went about its work.

What was she going to do? There were few if any who would even think of taking a contract to build vessels. Those small shipyards on the neighboring worlds were not enough alone. They could barely keep the aging forces patched up and flying, let alone be used to build anything of true merit.

Then her thoughts moved back to the Silver Sanctum, the possibility of inviting them; a thought quickly shaken from her head. There was something that just wasn't right with them offering such aid and requesting nothing in return. Her fingers began to tap out a rhythm upon the arm rest of her chair as she leaned back, closing her eyes and taking note of her options.

Taking the moment, he closed her eyes as she remained reclined in her large chair, leaned back against the leather. Her hand slipped from her temple, joining with her other hand in beginning to tap out a rhythm upon the arm rest of the chair. Quietly she leaned forward, her eyes opening as her emboldened hues fell upon the map once more. Without a single word slipping her lips, or any true thought she had finished a message. A message sending out a call, making it known that the Avidonian System was looking for those willing to help in modernizing its fleet; and payment would be worth the long trip.

 

[James Justice]

James always had his thumb on the heartbeat of the trade. It was what set him ahead of the game in pretty much every possible way. In the smuggling business, there were two types, the dead and the quick. James considered himself the later over the former, and the fact that he was still alive proved it to be so.

The man looked over his feed that the Slicers had compiled for him; possible business occasions, both legal and otherwise, easy and otherwise. There were ships to steal, planets to bomb, cities to take over, people to black mail... so many options. He hadn't become a business Mongol, or as some had called him Santa with a Shotgun by sitting on his hands or keeping them clean.

One relatively simple task caught his eye. A call out for help. For a fleet. James gave a slight smirk. Sometimes the gods gave answers in simple ways, wrapped with bows on top. The Spacer quickly sent out message stating his desire to comply. Attached were a few blue prints of his past work. Of course, he left out the secret sauce on more than a few of them. He couldn't have other's copying his special work, especially if he was going to be able to take care of their business.

He quickly made his way to the Angel's Glory and boarded, his Tsubasano Senshi following and loading after him. The Cardinal Company Second Rangers filed onto a trio of frigates. Unfortunately the Spacer couldn't take chances these days, as a convoy of his navy prepared to follow him on this journey.

Not long after, James saw the planet Thalassa materialize before him as he entered real space. It was pleasant enough, though it wasn't his Soceras. The spacer sent out a ping, announcing their presence and requesting permission to land. He was ready to begin making deals and money.

[member="Baroness Magrath"]

 

[Songbird]

"Play the message again, R6."
The astromech beeped an affirmative as Songbird piloted her Jackdaw Interceptor through hyperspace, the small starfighter on its way to Avidon. The ruler, [member="Baroness Magrath"], had sent out a message detailing her desire to update her world's navy. Well, the vigilante was always willing to lend a hand, and her engineering and piloting knowledge would come in handy, here.
The Talravinian had confirmed her acceptance of the offer and made her way to the planet. She didn't mind upgrading a few ships, maybe training some pilots in how to properly fly. The woman worked for no pay, as usual. Helping was it's own reward.

Her Interceptor came out of hyperspace, and she found herself staring at a small fleet, at least five ships from a quick fleet.
"R6, request permission to land. . . And see if you can identify that lead ship, there. It seems familiar."
The astromech worked quickly, and soon Songbird was looking at a holo of the owner of the ship: [member="James Justice"].
Her grip on the controls tightened.
Notorious criminal Justice was here. Her immediate instincts cried for her to attack, but she reigned herself in. She was here to help, not start a damned war.
She would refrain from attacking Justice, for this mission. For Avidon.

 

[Baroness Magrath]

"Interceptor class vessel, remain on your current course. Do not deviate, for your own safety."

The message was quick and clear, and it shown that the system authority wasn't that interested in the single fighter, rather they had an interest in the small fleet that had just dropped out of hyperspace. That was evident when the defense fleet, even though scared, battered and marred, appeared on an intercept course with the lead vessel. The ancient Star Destroyer seeming to limp through space as it moved to head off the vessel surrounded by a trio of frigates.

It was clear that even with their fleet in its state, they would still fight to ensure the safety of the system and its inhabitants. The captain aboard the Star Destroyer already had the vessel on standby, its weapons aimed at the lead vessel. Even as the message was brought to him, he still couldn't just trust that it wasn't a ruse.

"Unidentified fleet. You are to remain where you are. If your ward seeks access to the world below, they are permitted a single shuttle. Any actions other than those approved by the System Authority will be viewed as a hostile action."

Meanwhile, the Baroness was sitting quietly in her large study, leaning back in the heavy seat as a new glass of wine had been brought to her. The goblet cradled in her slender fingers as she took a sip. A light shade of lipstick leaving a mark upon the edge as she closed her eyes for a moment. Slowly they would flutter open once more as a beeping noise pulled her attention to the screen. The message flashing for a moment as she began to read through them, a heavy sigh slipping from her lips as she rolled her eyes at the schematics that appeared on her screen.

[member="Songbird"]
[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

The spacer looked at the battered ship limping towards them. It was a valiant effort, he had to admire that, one that he couldn't help but admire. That level of courage with that lack of skill against another fleet--well a lesser man would have given up. The spacer was half inclined to offer him work.

"Don't worry, Captain, I am not in the thieving business," he chuckled before adding, "At least not today."

If he had wanted to rob, it wouldn't have been here, and it would have been with the whole fleet. He wasn't in the business of robbing the good to feed his own--just the evil. With a satisfied turn he moved towards their shuttle bay, "Katsumoto, Ujio, Nabutado, on me, we will be going to ground."

"What if they try to ambush us?" Ujio asked, with no small amount of suspicion.

James placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. The man was a skeptic, and loyal without question, "The we will make them wish they had never been born. Now, come."

The five boarded one of the shuttles and quickly descended to the surface. Contrasting with the heavy durasteel plate armor of his guards, James wore only his trademark leather jacket, a shimmersilk white shirt, tight-fitting leather pants, his DeathHammer on his worn gunbelt and his favorite (worse for wear) flightboots. The surface of the planet greeted the businessman with a lush delight. He inhaled it all in before giving a satisfied sigh. You had to love that "new planet" smell.

[member="Baroness Magrath"]
[member="Songbird"]