Toxic Boogaloo (Corellian Confederation Dominion of Balosar)

[Corellian Swollo]

Once upon a time the Corellian's were nothing but a planet and people held under the thumb of other political powers. They were once a people brought to the edge of the abyss when the planet was broken during the Netherworld crisis. Yet now they have risen to be one of the major powers within the galaxy slowly bringing others into the fold. Nothing shows this quite as much as the launching of The Soaring First Fleet.

To christen and celebrate the launching of the fleet a grand celebratory cruise is being held on the Starchild. Everyone from budding Confederation politicians to Jedi, to even those of the public able to buy tickets are welcome aboard the vessel to partake in the celebrations. For one of the first times in recent years, things are truly beginning to turn around for the Corellians.

Within the Starchild a portion of the ship has been renovated for just such an occasion, out are the dull gray and silver hues of the ship interior now replaced with an elaborate gold and black theme that dominated the chamber. What had once been plain booths with uncomfortable chairs now were replaced with lush upholstered seats made from fine fabrics and leathers. Above chandeliers have been installed the crystal glimmering in the lights. In the far left corner on a pedestal, a band known as The Bantha Lovers stood playing. An odd band composed of a Wookie, Bothan and Cathar but all in all still an enjoyable and varied group.

Feel free to mingle with whoever you wish, have a drink, perhaps dance with one another. Just enjoy your time and get to know the others within the faction.

​

For those of you that didn’t come to enjoy the festivities what are you doing aboard the Starchild what are you doing? Did you come to spy on others, gather information, ect…?

 

[Kian Karr]

The Shadow approached the vessel ahead, the young padawan...no not padawan. Kian chastised the thought in his head. She was no longer a padawan, but a Jedi Knight now. Tilting his head sideways to get a better look at Soli Baris, Kian had to admit to himself that she was no longer the Jedi youngling he had once known. It seemed like only yesterday that she sat in the pilot seat, as a bright eyed padawan eager to learn all there was of the force. Now before him sat a woman, still enthusiastic and eager to learn, but with experiences etched across her face.

"What?" Her voice said, her eyes never wavering off the controls in front of her.

"Just feeling old." Kian admitted, seeing no reason to hid his inquisitive look at her. That drew her face away from the console and she smiled at him.

"You are old." She said, putting too much emphasis on the work old for Kian's liking. With a slight flicker in the force, one of the overhead compartment doors dropped open, it smacking into the back of Soli's head with a dull sounding smack. Nothing that would do any damage, just a little tap.

"Hey!" She said reaching up to rub her head and trying, but failing, to stop herself from laughing.

"Sorry....must have been senility." Kian said, his eyes falling on the large vessel in the distance. "My goodness....would you look at that ship." Even Kian had to admit the Starchild was impressive.

"Wow." Was all Soli said as she slid the compartment closed and brought their ship in toward the large vessel ahead of them.

~ ~ ~​

​

Some time later Kian was safely aboard and through the security checks. Kian had changed from his typical, dark Jedi Shadow robes, to an outfit more befitting a diplomatic meeting. As he came toward the entrance of the meeting room, he saw Soli standing to the side, dressed in the outfit of a server attending the party. She had slipped off the ship when they landed and, despite the impressiveness of the security on the vessel, was able to make it undetected into position. Kian trusted the people of the Correllian Confederation. They were good people, dedicated to good causes.....but Kian was still a former Master of Shadows, and he always had contingency plans. He'd been to too many meetings like these that ended in the need for a hasty escape or a fight.

Soli's job would be to monitor the meeting, making mental note of any important information to relay back to Kian and to be there in case things went sour. Kian's job was to....mingle. He would rather be hiding in the shadows of a seedy cantina or running for his life from Sith assassins than mingle with politicians. Hopefully he would not be the only Jedi here, or perhaps, if he was lucky, there would be some soldiers to get to know. Kian found a quiet spot on the outskirts of the elaborate room to wait.

 

[Dracken Pryce]

​

"She's a good ship Admiral," came the deep, baritone voice of Fleet Admiral Hawkins, "And she has a good crew. I'm glad we're doing this here rather than the Fortitude." He shrugged. "Something about throwing a celebration on an old First Order vessel didn't sit right with the politicians." Pryce didn't say anything as the pair walked side by side down the corridor leading to the re-purposed ball room. When Corellian Naval Command had told him that the Starchild was hosting this...He didn't believe it. Yet as they entered through the wooden double doors and the scene before him unfolded there was no mistaking it.

Both men were clad in their uniforms, though Pryce had omitted the pauldron for such a formal occasion. The room was filled with Councilors from various systems of the Confederation, local defense force leaders, Jedi, and others of the Admiralty. He wondered if Fleet Admiral Nova was present, but he doubted it considering the rising tensions between the CIC and the Corellians. The Home Fleet needed to be ready for anything it seemed these days. Honestly he felt the First Fleet should have been just as ready, but maybe it was vain of him to think that the Starchild alone was needed to defend Corellia's boarders. There were plenty of other competent officers in the First Fleet and he'd heard rumors that Lord Admiral Bao was putting together another fleet to defend the Humbarine Sector so maybe there wasn't much to worry about.

"They are a good crew. Its good to be serving aboard a Corellian vessel again sir." Hawkins laughed a hearty laugh and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Flattery will get you nowhere young man." Hawkins looked him up and down and nodded with a satisfied smirk, "Not that you need any help climbing up the ladder eh?" Pryce was in his early thirties now and Hawkins was right. He was younger than most of the Admiralty of Corellia, but he'd gotten here through a lot of blood, a lot of sweat, and a lot of tears. He'd not been looking for such a role, but he was dedicated and that was enough these days it seemed.

Pryce nodded and caught the eye of a few of his senior officers. The ship's Virtual Intelligence, Garvey, was flying the Starchild which gave most of the bridge officers and all of the senior officers a chance to relax during the event. Hawkin gave them a salute, which they promptly returned.

"Go on, be with your crew and mingle. You don't need to escort me," the older man said. "Besides, I want to get a few words in with Admiral Bao if she's here...I hear she's quite the looker." He gave Pryce a wink and the younger Admiral withheld a groan but instead gave him a salute.

"I'll catch up with you later sir."

​

​

Garvey sat floating above the tactical display table, watching feeds of the event below while also watching data readouts from their small escort and the other systems on the Starchild. Only a handful of bridge officers were up here with him and none of them were too talkative. The occasional beep broke the silence. All seemed quiet for now...His eyes glanced over the flight of Longsword fighters and Bador frigates floating leisurly beside the behemoth Colony II.

 

[Yula Perl]

​

"You wouldn't know anything about a connection between the Corellians and the Coalition, would you?"​

​

"You were Corellian from one side weren't you?"​

​

Clad in the strappy black dress she’d swiped from her mother, Yula was surprisingly adept at playing the role of socialite. Years of attending fancy events with Joza had left her with a sense of how to conduct herself, how to glide gracefully across the room and how to take dainty sips of vintage wines that were far out of her budget. A necessity in business, her mother had mentioned, was to appear comfortable in your role. Flash a charming smile and crush their dreams.

It wasn’t all too hard for her to appear contented. Yula had a wide comfort zone, just as eager to dress up as she was to spend the day at her machine shop on Terminus. [member="Julius Rhein"] would kick himself if he knew that he’d planted the seed in her head. She was Corellian, wasn’t she? Maybe it was time to branch out from the Coalition and reach out to the Corellians. Horizon Tech was beginning to take off, so perhaps she could find a market in them for her droids and weapons. A prime example of her engineering was Emily, the little spider droid currently clinging to her back.

Perched at the bar, sipping her wine, she watched the guests mingle around the room. She was simply here to feel them out.

No other reason.

 

[Krystal]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Objective: Ballroom Blitz[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Wearing: xxx[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]​Wielding: DL-44 Pistol [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Tags: open, come play![/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]~~~~~~~[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]As much as people made fun of her for handing out her sparkly cards anywhere from meetings or literal battles, no one could say that they didn't work. She had received an invitation to join the Corellians on Starchaser to celebrate... more spaceships? Or something? To be honest, Krystal wasn't entirely sure, but she was more looking forward to potentially brushing shoulders with Corellian importants -- after all, Corellia had quickly grown and showed no signs of stopping. To ignore other blossoming powers in the galaxy is to simply blindside your future self. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]So as Sharon (her ship's AI) guided her back to the planet, Krystal carefully curled her hair across her shoulders and searched through her closet, looking for... [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]there. [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]The dress she had bought on Umgul that she was so sure she'd wear all the time had been wasting away at the back of her rather full closet, and she would finally have an opportunity to wear it. As she pulled it on, she was reminded about exactly why she bought it -- it draped perfectly down her body, and the gold trimming seemed to shine a different shade each time she caught the light. Her ship landed softly -- she had finally gotten around to fixing the landing gear -- and she made to join the party. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]~~~~~~~ [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Krystal swayed gently to the music that filled the room, audible but not loud enough that one would have to shout over it. Not that she had anyone to talk to yet, of course, but she would soon. As of yet, the room was still relatively empty -- just beginning to fill in -- so while she waited, she grabbed a glass of champagne from a nearby droid and leaned up against the wall. This music was quite lovely, and the bubbles were perfect. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]She could certainly put up with this.[/SIZE]

 

[Arlen Winslett]

[SIZE=10.5pt]OBJECTIVE: BYOO -- Find contact and acquire payment… by any means necessary. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]WEARING: Something Discreet.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]WEILDING: Two concealed blasters. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]TAGS: None -- Open.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]----------------------------------------------------------------[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Wealthy clients always had to choose the most ostentatious meetup points. Public points Arlen could understand -- not that it actually offered much protection, but sometimes the illusion was nearly as good -- but the gilded walls of this perfectly good starship made him want to jump out the nearest airlock. So many better ways to spend money. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Arlen had been working with this anonymous Corellian client for nearly two months now, and had yet to see a dime for his work. He had fed a steady stream of illegal weapons through all sorts of checkpoints on Corellia, as well as some… [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]substances [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]from other planets which were less than legal to import to Corellia. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]However, rumour had it -- in Arlen’s circles -- that this Arlen wasn’t the only one providing service to this client. And he wasn’t the only one not getting paid. So, after Arlen withheld the last two transports from Corellia, the man finally agreed to a real meeting. Albeit in a public place and with no guarantee of how it would go down… but it was good enough for Arlen.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Besides, on a starship like this… there were certainly places where a body would not be found for some time. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Dressed in his usual matte black, Arlen strode onto the Starchaser. Despite his criminal roots, Arlen had spent enough time among the rich and haughty that he knew damn well how to play the game. He made no eye contact with anyone as he walked with his head high, snatching a drink -- hopefully something strong -- from a passing server droid. He stopped abruptly as he reached the corner of the room opposite from where the band was playing and sat on the golden couch (again, ew) that stood there. He was unremarkable aside from a bloodred flower he wore in his breast pocket -- the marker agreed upon by the client. He took long sips from his drink and would wait there until approached… or something else interesting started to happen.[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10.5pt][[OOC NOTE]] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Hello fellow criminals! Do you ALSO have beef with this anonymous client? Fabulous! I’m down for any type of storyline. Ideas: perhaps you too are wearing a matching flower, and mistake me for him? Perhaps you are preparing to assassinate him and I catch sight of you? Perhaps you ARE he, and then [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]mister, you better pay up. Or else. [/SIZE]

 

[Ava Cartwright-Pryce]

Aboard the CDF Starchild II
Captain's Quarters

Now that emergency leave for a family matter was over and Ava had returned home, yes, the Starchild was considered her home as that is where the Ralltiiri's heart lay with its keeper, things could get back to normal again... or so the starfighter pilot thought.

The Wing Commander wasn't back on board the Colony II-class Battlecruiser but ten minutes before she realized the flagship of Admiral [member="Dracken Pryce"] had been turned into a party palace?! She couldn't believe how the ol' girl had been dolled up. Ava could only imagine how its Corellian captain was handling it. Oh how she would have loved to be on a fly on the wall when he was told by Admiral Nova to see it so... priceless no doubt!

The golden blonde hurried to get ready for the festivities. Goldilocks and Wildcat Squadron had been out on patrol before they were relieved by one of the Longsword squadrons so they could attend the... what were they calling it, oh yes, the Ballroom Blitz. Ava was also told to dress the part of hostess being that she would be on the arm of the admiral. In other words, no uniform and preferably something slinky yet appropriate. Huh!

Ava gave one last look at herself in the long mirror inside the foot locker that Dracken had allotted her as they shared quarters upon the ship, then the long-legged pilot closed the door and exited the suite to take the turbo lift to the deck where the 'ballroom' had been set up.

It wasn't a secret the two were a pair and had been dating since just after the fall of the Galactic Alliance and Corellia's freedom from Sith occupation, but they had kept it on the down low as duty came first for the military couple. Today though, it might be more obvious especially if she got the Corellian to dance with her...

 

[Selinica Miriya Cailis]

​

Between her youth as a daughter of Corellian aristocracy, her years as thief of art and relics, and her time under the long-gone Fringe Confederation, Sel was no stranger to getting dolled up and mingling at celebrations, balls, and other gatherings of the sort. It was just that the last time she'd attended one of these things had been years ago, and she hadn't attended alone. Much had changed in the intervening years, and with all that had happened to Corellia, she was drawn back. It was home again, and with the passing of her parents in one of the many points of strife, she was the lone head of her house. The way of philanthropy, instilled in her by the first of her greatest teachers, had her using her personal and inherited wealth to help her fellow Corellisi where she could, without making a big show of it, and otherwise investing to keep being able to do it for many, many years to come.

Other links saw her spending time at the floating temple. A Master in her own right, though not a Jedi, per se, she nonetheless held more to the path of Light than otherwise but her entire strength was in deception, none of which she pulled about her today, opting instead for just a long, low-cut black dress, with her blonde hair down, lightly curled, and teased (and errant grey hairs plucked - she wrestled over whether to dye when the time came), and no jewelry. Flashiness wasn't her style, when so many years had been spent in the practise of not being noticed, if not concealed in her entirety. Sel more or less floated to the bar, ordered a cup of ch'hala tea with a touch of Whyren's Reserve, then was on her way, to circulate the room.

Master Berus wouldn't be here - this wasn't his kind of thing. Who else, Jedi or not, would she rub elbows with, tonight?

 

[Dracken Pryce]

"I heard that there was a new cruiser coming into service."

"Another cruiser? I feel like whoever is making these decisions doesn't understand how much of a logistical nightmare all these ships are going to be."

"What do you think Admiral?...Admira Pryce sir?"

He had missed the conversation. From across the room he spotted Ava in her black dress. It was simple, but fit her snug in all of the right places, modest but just eye catching enough. He felt the heat rising to his ears when he realized he was staring.

"I...Have to go. You all enjoy the night."

"You couldn't have made that more obvious," came Garvey's voice from the com sitting in his ear canal. Pryce winced. He hated when Garvey spied on the crew like that, though tonight it was mostly his job. He ignored the AI though and made his way to Ava wearing his best Corellian smirk. She'd long since peeled back the professional mask he wore on the bridge, and it was no secret that the pair were a couple with Corellian fraternization rules so lax. One arm slid around her waist casually as he stepped into stride beside her.

"Well fancy seeing you here Wing Commander. May I say, you're looking radiant tonight Larel"

[member="Ava Cartwright"]

 

[Sabetha Tag]

Once upon a time, Sabetha had been Corellian. That had been..... before a lot of things. While she had lived on Corellia through most of her childhood, the redhead only considered the first five years of her life to be Corellian. After that? She was less impressed, and not particularly interested in claiming that. Not many people knew that she had done most of her growing up on the streets of Coronet City, and she aimed to keep it that way.

One of the exceptions?

Her adopted sister, [member="Arage Bao"].

Who had SOMEHOW managed to get her rear end tied back up with another regime that Sabetha didn't really see the point to. First the New Republic, now the Corellian Confederation. Granted, Sabetha didn't see the appeal of running a place like Humbarine either. Well, you didn't have to get the people you loved, just respect and accept what they wanted.

Or something like that she guessed.

She was here, in part, to see that particular white haired menace to her sanity. But ALSO in part to case the joint. She'd left Hira at home for this one. Recon only and Hira was at least honest that no, if she came, she probably wasn't going to behave.

Sabetha promised to bring her something nice.

Dressed to the nines, she sauntered through the crowd, liberating a glass of champagne from a tray and finishing it in one go, only to leave it on another tray as she passed. Oh, Sabetha wouldn't touch Humbarine. But the rest of the Confederation? Different story.

 

[Maou]

​

The Soaring First Fleet. Already with one victory under their belt in the first few months of their first official voyage. The people of Balosar wished to see the power of the First Fleet and so the gala had been organized by the Corellian Council and Naval Command. Kaito, a strong proponent of the military and further militarization, was an obvious choice and was he glad to be here. The women of Balosar weren't bad and neither were the women of high Corellian society that had managed to get aboard. From behind three fingers of Corellian Whiskey he scanned the room, his eyes falling on a particularly radiant pair of women. The brightly colored Zeltron and a woman who looked extremely familiar...Cailis maybe?

They both wore black dresses, and now that he mentioned it to himself, most of the women attending had black dresses. Luckily it didn't seem like the men were wearing a certain color to match. Something in the Force told him that even trying to speak to the blonde was asking for trouble though...Zeltron it was. He started making his way to the woman before the Kel Dor caught his eye...Jedi Master Karr. He sucked his teeth. He prefered not dealing with Jedi like him in these sorts of places. Sure he may have been just another patron, his defenses lowered...But dealing with a Shadow was asking for trouble. He'd have to be extra careful here...

And so he put on his best Corellian Councilor sultry smirk and made his way to the pink skinned beauty.

"Interested in the going ons of our illustrious First Fleet are you miss..." he let his sentence trail off, waiting for her to fill in her name.

[member="Selinica Miriya Cailis"] [member="Yula Perl"] [member="Krystal Estain"] [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

Homeward bound.

That was something tricky for the youngest Starchaser. She was the one who was the wanderer, and was known for messing with ships, like her father. But also like her father she was probably the worst example of a Corellian because she spent more time out along the Rim than back in the Core. But today? It was time to catch up with the homeworld, and see if Starchaser Enterprises could be useful for the home. She had thing she could trade, and services for moon and asteroid mining to provide. Sure, she was a Warden and a bit of a smuggler, but she was definitely a bit out of place here.

Her father was full blooded human Corellian, and her mother was Corellian and Mirialan, and she wanted to see just how the world had changed. Her YT-2400, Pulsar arrived in the homeworld system. She had changed what she was wearing, from spacers combat armor to a dress more appropriately. She looked around and keyed into others who seemed to not fit, namely [member="Yula Perl"], but she didn’t just look away from [member="Dracken Pryce"], who was definitely one of the who was ranked here. Interesting situation here.

She had her mobile Saiba Group Holodriver, that was upgraded for some datapad and data collection details and was tying to pull up a program that would help her identify the people, by transmitting names to her earpiece.

Just in case.

But first, the Mirialan Starchaser was going to do a little exploration.

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian watched as people began to arrive in greater numbers. He watched them each from his perch upon the edges of the gathering. An officer and a woman who he was clearly more than friends with, Kian didn't need any training to make that one out. A Zeltron female who melted into the party adeptly, as if this was certainly something she was more than capable of handling. There were also other force users there, Kian could feel one particularly powerful individual but he did not recognize her. It was interesting the things you could learn, or believe to learn, just by silently observing a crowd. But that wasn't really what Kian was suppose to be doing...he was suppose to be mingling.

Kian was about to make his way around the room to make introductions when he felt eyes upon him and watched as [member="Kaito Kiyoshi"] crossed the room, making a line straight for the Zeltron. There was something about the man, the way he took Kian in for a moment before turning his attention back to the women he was moving toward. There was a hunger in his aura....but a glance at the Zeltron made Kian dismiss that as not having to do with him. But there was something else about him that just didn't sit well.

Closing his eyes, Kian stretched out with his mind. As irritating as they could be, the goggles on his face hid the fact that he was doing this and, to many people, he would appear as if he were just standing there staring. Instead, he was reaching out to Soli, who was chatting with another server over by the bar.

Soli, Kian said, his telepathic mind putting the words directly into his mind, keep an eye on him. Kian did not have to say anything more. The very connection that was binding them together in that moment made it instantly clear in Soli's mind who Kian was referring too. She made no sign she understood him, but several seconds later she was moving through the crowd making her rounds with a fresh tray of drinks and inching closer to within ear shot of the others.

Kian straightened his robes once more and decided he would begin to look silly if he didn't jump in. So he turned and began to pace the floor slowly looking for someone to mingle with. The entrance of a new person ([member="Kaia Starchaser"]) caught his attention and Kian made his way towards the younger woman. "Greetings," Kian said, his voice deep but muffled. "My name is Kian, are you with the Correllian military?" Kian asked, just throwing out a potential conversation starter, but glancing toward the man and his Zeltron target before looking back to the young woman before him.

 

[Krystal]

Objective: Ballroom Blitz
[SIZE=10.5pt]Wearing: xxx[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]​Wielding: DL-44 Pistol [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Tags: [member="Selinica Miriya Cailis"], come play![/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]~~~~~~~[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The ballroom -- god, even the fact that there was a ballroom on this ship spoke to the sheer size of the thing -- was beginning to fill up. Mostly she saw humans, likely politicians and spoiled aristocrats, but there was the odd alien face here and around. Krystal quickly grew tired of waiting for anyone to approach her (waiting around was never her strong suit) and her eyes scanned the room for a potential target. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Most of the men she saw would be no good... They'd be too drunk or infatuated to be of any use to her. A lack of critical thinking was often useful to Krystal, if she needed something or other, but as far as connections went they wouldn't remember her by tomorrow. And as to the scantily clad women hanging off their arms -- ditzy princesses, all of them. They wielded no influence or power over anything, and wouldn't last longer in these circles than their beauty did. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]She glanced subtly around the room as she wandered. Her eye caught on a tall, older woman standing alone -- in a gorgeous black dress, too -- and, partially for a lack of better options, began to walk in her direction. She caught the woman's glance as she approached, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"Well. What's a gorgeous woman like you doing alone on a night like this?"[/SIZE]

Nearly immediately, Krystal burst out laughing. "I'm so sorry, that came across... not how I wanted it to. I promise I'm not trying to pick you up," she joked. "I'm Krystal, by the way. There seems to be a dearth of intelligent company around here, and you seemed semi decent."

 

[Ava Cartwright-Pryce]

​

​

Ava needed a drink so that is where she was headed to when an arm slinked around her waist in mid stride. Turning her golden head, the blonde beamed over at [member="Dracken Pryce"]. With her heels on, their blue pools were fairly even; he still being a couple inches taller though.

The man had used the Olys Corellisi word for love as a personal endearment at the end of his sentence. It made Ava's heart skip a beat as it rolled off Dracken's tongue. Funny how even a year ago she could hardly get him to acknowledge their relationship in public. How things change when the hard cold truth of life and death stares one in the face. It makes one consider things that are truly important in a different light. For each of them, close calls had hit a nerve and made the couple realize in their business they couldn't take anything for granted.

"Why Admiral... One might think you actually missed me by that hungry smirk of yours. And thanks... You don't look so bad yourself," she winked. There was just something about a man in a smart looking uniform, especially if he was tall, dark, and handsome.

When they got to the bar, Goldie did a quick peruse of the bottles of liquor on display, then ordered for herself. "I'll have a single malt, neat please."

The last few weeks had been stressful for the commander. A family emergency had Ava having to take personal leave from the CDF so she could go back to her homeworld of Ralltiir. Things were still a bit up in the air regarding her grandfather's estate, but at least she got to spend quality time with him before he died. Sadly, her own father couldn't wait for the old man to kick off so he could get his due inheritance. Boy was he disappointed when the man found out from the reading of the will that his daughter got most of the elder Cartwright's estate worth. Let's just say father and daughter were not on speaking terms, like usual.

After Dracken placed his drink order as well, she turned in the Corellian's embrace to face him. They barely had had time to say hello since her return to duty, and that was just in passing it seemed at best.

"I'd say let's make this an early night, but I might be a little presumptuous to think that we will get the luxury. Kinda hard when we are the hosts of this here shindig... Just means you'll have to dance with me to make up for it," she grinned with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

 

[Sonya Grace]

Objective: Ballroom Blitz
Wearing: Sequins
Tags: Open

~~~

“Because my heart won’t break, the way you want.”

Sonya kept pace with the soft, rhythmic tap of her bass guitar as her soft voice carried throughout the room. This was her favourite song to close on -- she knew it in and out, and could play it with her eyes closed. Her drummer's steady beat filled in the gaps, and a keyboard offered a treble accompaniment.

"If you say those words, my work is done."

She tried to limit her movement to a gentle swaying on stage. This wasn't quite the venue for jumping around, and one thing Sonya knew for sure that she could not do was dance. She'd do it drunk in her room at one in the morning, and that was about the extent of it. The beat of the music seemed to call for a motion to accompany it, though...

"And there's nothing you can do to stop the tears that I will cry, and there's nothing you can say that puts the good in your goodbye..."

All the instruments cut out save Sonya's clear voice as she closed everything off:

"No, my heart will never break the way you want."

A smile broke across Sonya’s face as she finished the last song of her set. The trembles she always had before she started performing had stopped by now, and all that was left was the rush of adrenaline and the beat of her music. She stepped off the stage to make way for the second and final band of the night. It was a rather strange ensemble, but she was sure they’d do wondrously. It was quite a lovely venue -- Sonya couldn’t say she performed on starships often -- and far exceeded her expectations. It was all she could do to not run her hands along the gilded walls that glinted at her, and the couches honestly looked to expensive to sit on.

She was working. Not at a party.

She didn't belong here.

That being said, of course, that did not mean that she couldn't enjoy herself. Betcha these folks have some pretty nice alcohol. She smiled to herself and darted off, in search of an open bar or a droid to steal some drinks from.

Either would do just as well.

 

[Selinica Miriya Cailis]

​

She could say she felt eyes on herself, but in a setting like this, that was normal; depending on where the beholder's tastes ran, it could be even more unsurprising. 'Gentlemen prefer blondes' it had been said, by someone, somewhere, long ago - but was that real blondes, or bleached blondes? Not that it mattered - hair was hardly a good basis for long-term, continued interactions, unless you were a hairdresser, and Sel had long since become content with her own company, even though she no longer held to solitude out of distrust. She sipped at the spiked tea, soothing, and relaxing, and played a guessing game as to lifestyles, wealth, and more besides, when her gaze traipsed over someone she didn't recognise. This was a discernment learned when she was a young girl, perverted further for her own gain in thievery, and now more or less stood only for her personal entertainment. The Force gleaned more clues, if she wanted, but it was just as much of a good, idle distraction without that.

Drawing another sip from the teacup, barely lifting it from the saucer, she caught the approach of a much younger blonde, headed in her direction. A sensitive, but not one of the temple’s own, and that was hardly a surprise, either. Either she didn’t know, or she did, and didn’t care, or did, and had ulterior motives. Some combination thereof. Nonetheless, this wasn’t a situation that warranted the intrusion into a psyche uninvited - most situations didn’t warrant it - so she would just have to talk to the girl and tease things out that way.

“When…”

She was cut off. The hurried nattering, and joking, left a few details, and... was that a slight to her age or her gender? Sel blinked, then gave a cordial, if a bit thin, smile.

“You may call me Miri,” she wasn’t going to lay out the red carpet, here, “and if you must know, solitude isn’t as bad as it’s made out to be. You either learn to enjoy your own company, or suffer unhappiness. There won’t always be others around, in every moment.”

Waxing philosophical, or were there nuggets of other truths in it? [member="Krystal Estain"] couldn’t know, as they were strangers but for names, and moreso as Sel hadn’t given much at all.

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Sabetha Tag"] | [member="Julius Rhein"] | [member="Yula Perl"]

Apparently part of being a leader in the Corellian Confederacy meant coming to their events.

To.

Socialize.

Arage didn't enjoy this. Had nothing to do with the Confederacy, of course. All professional there- they had bested her in battle and then together came up with a way for both... to get what they wanted. No, it was just... this. Especially what Arage was wearing right now. Passable, but far too much embroidery and gold. According to one of her closest confidants it was the way it had to be.

To show status and power.

Authority.

The suggestion Arage could simply have someone executed in the ball room as an exercise of power wasn't met with amusement. Halfway through the event? Somehow also managed to lose Julius. Who was probably slamming over drinks by the bucket.

She could go for one.

A sigh, moving her way to the buffet table herself. Maybe there was something strong to drink there. Maybe.

 

[Yula Perl]

Tags: [member="Sabetha Tag"] | [member="Arage Bao"] | Is [member="Julius Rhein"] even here
Engaging: [member="Kaito Kiyoshi"]

Yula was lost in thought, eyes drifting over an important looking white-haired woman. Was that her natural color? That stark hue would take a lot of time and effort for even an expert colorist to achieve. A voice to her side had pulled her away from people-watching for the moment.

She smiled at the man who’d approached her—she’d seen him coming in from the side, and indulged in a sip of wine before looking him over. Tall, handsome, sultry. Maybe a decade or so on her. She could work with that.

“Perl.” She extended a hand to shake, gesturing for him to take the empty seat beside her if he so wished. The occasional glances thrown her way had not been lost on her, and it dawned on Yula that she perhaps seemed a little too out of place here. Maybe they thought that she was someone’s date, or an escort? That was a funny thought. She probably wouldn’t have garnered a second look if she’d been in her spacer duds. This was more fun. “Yula Perl.”

“Good to see Corellians doing well for themselves.” Saying that sounded odd, because she herself was Corellian by blood. Not that she’d ever followed up on that, feeling much more connected to her Zeltron heritage given her looks and being raised on Zeltros.

Another sip of wine. “You must be proud.”

 

[Maou]

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Tags: [member="Yula Perl"] [member="Arage Bao"] [member="Julius Rhein"]

"A pleasure," he said with a short bow. The Corellians were doing well. Despite the growing tensions between the Core Imperial Confederation and the CIS' recent expansions deeper into the Core Worlds the Corellians were fighting for their place in the Galaxy with tooth and nail. It was something to be admired, even if he himself wasn't really Corellian.

"I am, and we are trying. We've come a long way since our world was broken in half." A glint of feigned sorrow glinted in his eye. Of course Kai hadn't been here for that event either...Though he had been a large part of restoring Coronet in the aftermath. His eyes fell on Lord Admiral Bao in her white uniform. Non-standard for Corellian Military, but something of an exception given to her status he'd heard over the grapevine. He sensed danger from her, like she was a wild Atrisian tiger, ready to pounce on anything she saw as weak. It drew people to her, he could tell.

"But what brings you here to our little corner of the Galaxy Miss Perl? Surely its not just the wine."