Toxic Boogaloo (Corellian Confederation Dominion of Balosar)

[Timaz Zi Dipat]

Straid shifted uncomfortably as he idled near the buffet, plate in hand, somewhat confounded by the vast array of different foods on display. He recognised one out of every ten labels he read. The colourful presentation didn't aid either. Half the time he was convinced that he'd drop dead if he sampled the food before him. He sighed in resignation. At least there was some silver lining to his ordeal. Picking food meant not having to engage in conversation with the other visitors. While he wasn't opposed to the pleasantries and platitudes of casual conversation with other officials and dignitaries of the Corellian Confederation, the circumstances of his being here were far from making him comfortable.

He'd received a figurative last-minute call from one of Lisza Starseeker's aides. She was too preoccupied with matters of state to appear at the social gathering and her representative for social matters had fallen ill rather unexpectedly, which meant the task of making an appearance had apparently fallen squarely on his shoulders. To make the ball in time he'd had to board the very next shuttle that left for the Starchild, leaving him little time to prepare. Had he taken the offer of a personal assistant he likely would've at least been able to appear in something more fitting for high-society than his usual attire. As it was, the clothes he wore comprised of his usual drab coat, a slightly off-white shirt, a blue tie, and an ordinary pair of trousers. The cologne he'd sprayed on moments before entering the ballroom had been purchased from one of the vendors at the starport. It had a cheap, but respectable scent, he thought. He wasn't very knowledgeable on these matters, but the Ishi Tib vendor had reassured him it was the best he had on offer. Overall his appearance was more akin to that of a dreary mutt far out of its depth, which made him try to avoid attention that much more.

To both his shock and relief, his eyes had finally wandered upon something that suited his appetite. It was an old dish he knew well from his time in the Republic's military, though he was sure that he'd never seen it appear this appealing. He slowly transferred a small amount onto his plate and moved on to gather a side of potato rice he was surprised about finding. For a moment he felt very suddenly self-conscious as he took in the sight of his plate. It had a very farmer's meal look, despite the high quality of ingredients on display. It almost made him feel ashamed to have squandered the opportunity to taste some of the more exquisite dishes the galaxy had to offer, but when he glanced back towards the buffet he could only chuckle quietly. Fanciness didn't suit him well.

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

The Brave Little Starchaser was definitely out of her wheelhouse here. Didn’t make a difference to her, but being in the Core and around the homeworld? That was different by and large for her. With the rest of her technology, she’d be able to make some discussions on what the Enterprises could offer the Confederation. One thing she knew they could offer was a bit of raw material for their war machine, fresh from the Coalition space. But first things first. Introductions, and then regular conversations.

She knew who a few were, Pryce was former Alliance. Perl was… Perl. But the one who approached her, she knew of him through reputation. Master Kian Karr had been around the Jedi a lot, and with Kaia having her own connections to the Jedi, she was able to recognize them that came around. “Corellian military, no. But Corellian by birth. Just know enough how to get around when I need to.” The woman smiled.

“And it always pays to come home for a visit, the Rim can get a little rough.” She didn’t mind, don’t get her wrong. She loved the Rim, but at times, you needed to just show up and come up for air from the Rim. “How are you doing, Mastercard Karr? I believe you know my father?” She smiled.

Assumptions but still.

[member="Kian Karr"]
[member="Yula Perl"]
[member="Dracken Pryce"]

 

[Dracken Pryce]

A Corellian Whiskey, neat and simple just how he liked his drinks. The Quaren behind the bar had given him a good three fingers and made Ava's drink with a wink before complimenting her in his own language. Pryce gave the Quarren a look that said he knew exactly what he said. He ignored it though and turned back to Ava, pulling her a little closer so they could whisper in hushed tones.

"Garvey can watch the ship and the Fleet Admiral's here...So maybe if we're quiet about it we can..." he stole a quick peck. He left the suggestion lingering but he knew that she was right. He was not only an Admiral in the First Fleet, but he was the commanding officer aboard the Starchild and of the entire Starchild task force. Fat chance he was getting out of this event early.

"How is your family? Everything alright back home? We didn't get to talk much while you were away." He took a sip of his drink.

[member="Ava Cartwright"]

 

[Zef Halo]

He didn't enjoy this. Had everything to do with the Confederation.

They had lost.

Lord Admiral Bao had counter-argued that but Julius just couldn't accept it. She had a strong political aptitude while he had nearly zero, so it was really hard for him to see it any differently than a loss. Yes, Humbarine de facto had remained independent, but the Lieutenant Commander of the Humbarine Naval Intelligence was unable to prevent [member="Arage Bao"]'s capture during the Balmorra campaign. Julius blamed it all on himself.

Thus, halfway through the event, he had politely dismissed himself from the escort of Arage and downed two drinks in the matter of one-digit minutes. High-alcoholic percentage raised his inner temperature and the uncomfortable military officer uniform he wore wasn't really helping. He despised the head of public policy who had tossed both Bao and himself in this cursed event. Arage stood out like a Tatooine sun with her white uniform and so did he with the clearly distinctive color and design of a Humbarine military officer uniform. The decorations across his uniform dangled with every move he took and he felt like a Life Day Tree with legs.

The third drink nearly choked him when his eyes caught the pink hued humanoid not far from him in the crowd socializing with some guy [[member="Kaito Kiyoshi"]]. He stared like a hunter staring through his rifle's scope till he was certain it was none other than [member="Yula Perl"]. Julius devoured the contents of his glass in one go and decided it was a good idea to shove himself out to where the Tatooine sun was.

But the Tatooine Sun came to him.

He envied the composure Arage carried herself in this despicable social event, Julius could only muster that level of calmness when he was doing his job. This was never part of his job description.

"Lord Admiral, my apologies..." He began politely but continued with a knife's edge whisper. "...but I would like to be tasked with gutting your PR for sending us here to mingle with the Corellians."

Julius' glance danced across the guests with their fake smiles and fake postures and fake lives. He felt like he was forced to attend a party commemorating the Corellians victory at Balmorra.

It was probably the alcohol mixed with regrets talking.

[member="Sabetha Tag"] | Open to others.

 

[Aeneis Valdemar]

To find a shocktrooper out of their military fatigues or dress attire was an incredibly rare moment. Aeneis defying the expectations went out of his way to find an incredibly nice suit going so far as to delve into his savings and taking leave. This was more than about meeting a member of the opposing sex and taking them home, his cause and reason greater than just coming to enjoy a drink. No, the soirée was Aeneis’ chance to delve into the world of Corellian politics. To begin making his rounds and putting his name out there for once he finished his tour of duty.

Entering the ballroom, Aeneis stood at the entrance for a few seconds just taking in the extravagance that was manifested by the Confederation in names of hosting the function. On no other ship where the Arkanian hybrid served had he seen a chamber as extravagant as this one. They’d gone all out on the rennovations, it didn’t even look like the Starchild he once knew. All around the social elite gathered in groups talking among themselves, politicians dealing with others and some going so far as to flirt with attendees. It made the soldier's skin crawl, his heart speeding up. As a shocktrooper he looked death in the eye every day he entered the field of battle but within the Starchild’s ballroom Aeneis finally felt anxiety slowly build within him. That fear screamed that he didn’t belong, that he should simply leave. It took every bit of willpower that the tan-skinned man could muster to hold his ground.

Reaching up he tugged lightly on the collar and took his first steps into the room. Eyes scanning the room and landing on the buffet at first. Being a big man, and a soldier the officer was always hungry but would hate himself if he managed to ruin his white suit which was perhaps his worst decision for the night. From the buffet Aeneis’ eyes moved over to a distinguished figure with graying hair. The scar that coasted down the man’s face was enough to tell the soldier just who it was.

Breathing in, Aeneis became aware he’d been holding his breath. Building up the same courage one would when entering the fray the silvery-white haired man made his way forward towards [member="Straid Priest"]. “Excuse me Councillor Priest, I don’t think we had the pleasure. Aeneis Valdemar, I am a huge fan of your work sir, especially the tales of your time commanding forces in the Indrexu Spiral. One for the history books.”

 

[Sabetha Tag]

"What's wrong with Corellians?"

The stage whisper came from right behind him. The redhead has appeared, as if by feat of legerdemain, at [member="Julius Rhein"] 's elbow. She was leaning in slightly, waiting expectantly for an answer, but the amused smile flickering over her lips made it very clear that the joke (at least to her) was hilarious.

She was carrying two glasses of champagne now.

"Better be careful, tossing around that word with that tone here. Someone might thing you didn't like them," the smile turning positively into a smirk before green eyes cast over to the white haired woman. "Sorry, didn't bring one for grumplestilskin here," she referred to Julius as she offered one to [member="Arage Bao"].

As if they had been planning on meeting here. As if the other woman had known at all that Sabetha was coming.

The chit eating grin on her face made it clear that both the casual approach and the surprise itself were deliberate.

 

[Arage Bao]

For a brief moment Arage saw [member="Julius Rhein"]'s flicker towards the Zeltron in the room.

Gorgeous one, talking to... hm. That one seemed familiar to her. Obviously Humbarine Intelligence had laid out reports for her to read in preparation for tonight. The who's who, the important ones, the ones easy to ignore. If Arage wasn't mistaken, he was a shipping magnate. The Zeltron? A scion of an entertainment dynasty. Neither of them particularly politically important, but still people of interest.

Where there was money there was power.

"Hmm, loose tongues find themselves into trouble easily, Lieutenant Commander." Arage murmured softly, before refocusing her attention on Julius again. "Pace yourself- we have a long night ahead of us. Especially, if your eyes keep... wandering hopefully to the pretty zeltron."

Before the Lord Admiral could say more? A new arrival took her back. It took her a second to recover from that.

Anyone else might have missed it.

But Sabetha and Julius had known her for far longer than most. They both would be able to catch it... if Julius was still sharp enough, after all those drinks. "Miss Tag, you clean up rather nicely." Polite, accepting the glass, but the eye held a warning there.

Careful measured sip which told Julius that Arage trusted her.

"I wasn't expecting your presence here. This is Lieutenant Commander Rhein. Rhein- miss Tag here has helped me in the past with some sordid business."

Not introducing her as her sister, but Sabetha and her pirates had been instrumental to cutting out the eyes of the rebellion fostering on Humbarine so many months ago.

[member="Sabetha Tag"] [member="Kaito Kiyoshi"] [member="Yula Perl"]

 

[Zef Halo]

"I-" He began but found his tongue empty. Julius had forgotten about her incredibly perceptive nature. Read him like an open book back in the Humbarine Academy days.

"Yes, Lord Admiral." Julius said near silently with an obeying nod.

A shadow crept up behind them and materialized right by the side of his elbow. Eyes caught Arage's rather 'unpleasant surprise' face and his hand per instinct reached for his holster which was not there. What words the shadow of a woman said came through one ear and left through the other, he was too busy with the instinct of protecting the Lord Admiral from any harm.

When Arage acquainted the Lieutenant Commander to Miss Tag, Julius felt the tension leave him and his arm calmly dropped to its natural position.

"Miss Tag." He finally shifted his head to see the redheaded miss. The glint in her forest green eyes reminded him of the scores of scoundrels he had met before. Nothing on his face gave out a surprise nor a hint at him analyzing who she actually was. "If you will excuse me, Lord Admiral. Miss." A curt nod and he was off towards [member="Yula Perl"].

In the most nonchalant way he could muster the Lieutenant Commander sauntered towards Pink.

"Fancy seeing you here, Yula." Julius said with the briefest of smile. It hadn't been long since they were aboard the Vherdun during that fateful meeting. With whatever strength he had, Julius bore down the weight of regret within. The lieutenant commander nodded at the man beside her [[member="Kaito Kiyoshi"]] and introduced himself blankly. "Julius Rhein."

A hand did not follow.

[member="Sabetha Tag"]

 

[Yula Perl]

​

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

Yula observed with somber silence, the way he spoke of Corellia’s plight. She hadn’t been around for it. “My mother told me about the day Corellia broke in half.” Idly, she swirled the wine, peering down into the amber liquid for a short moment. From the corner of her eye she glimpsed a girl in a similar predicament as her own—one of the sore thumbs not belonging on the spectrum of pale to deep tan skin. The green hued [member="Kaia Starchaser"] was currently engaged with what appeared to be an alien garbed in Jedi-esque attire.

The Zeltron brightened when the conversation turned more towards her reason for attending. “I do a lot of work with the Outer Rim Coalition. Plenty of Corellians out there, naturally I heard about this from the grapevine.” She opted not to mention her own heritage at this time, feeling sorely out of touch with her Corellian blood. “I make droids for the coalition. Some implants and other merch too, but nothing too fancy.” The implication that she was interested in producing for the Confederation hung in the air.

A series of warbles from behind her reminded Yula that Emily, her faithful companion was still present. The little spider droid had unclenched herself from Yula’s back and tumbled her way onto the bar counter, trilling a greeting to the man. “Oh, let me introduce my little friend here—Emily. She may be small, but she’s a reliable friend. Helped me out of jams more times than I can remember.” She looked down to the bot with an affectionate smile, ever proud of having made the robot with her own two hands.

"Fancy seeing you here, Yula."

Emily whirled around and warbled in warning, raising her two front legs aggressively towards the new arrival. It was a rather benign display, but the little droid had been caught by surprise.

Yula’s face reflected visible surprise, too. She thought she’d felt someone’s eyes on her earlier, but when she’d glanced behind her, nothing. Julius must have mingled his way back into the crowd. The Zeltron gave her speaking companion and tight smile, downed the rest of her wine, and sobered up. The bartender, probably sensing the impending drama, was at the ready. “Corellian whiskey.” She’d need something stronger for sure.

Turning to face him, Yula smiled. “Julius.” That polite, controlled smile that reflected her discontent. “What are you doing here?” The bartender slid her drink over to her with a little push, perhaps not wishing to verbally intervene. “I was just talking with my new friend, Mr…” She drifted to prompt him, realizing that she hadn’t caught his name.

Her eyes bore into the Humbariner’s, clearly asking just what the kark was he doing here.

 

[Maou]

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

His eyes widened. He wasn't expecting that. What had started as a simple curiosity now had his full attention. He invested incredible sums of money into robotics, prosthetics, and implants, mostly due to his own extensive modification.

"Interesting little droid," he said. "I have a vested interest in robotics technologies on Corellia, especially military applications of droid brains and Virtual or Artificial Intelligence to keep our men and women safe." He nodded, running a hand through his beard as he inspected the little droid.

"You did this yourself?" he asked enthusiastically as his cybernetic eye scanned over the droid, sending details to his HUD. "Interesting...how did you fit a deflector shield on something so-" His danger senses started tingling up his neck as a man approached the pair. His words were swiped from the air as the man made himself known. He inwardly groaned realizing who it was.

"Kaito Kiyoshi, Councilor of Coronet's Gold Sector," he finished for Yula, his eyes narrowing at the man. "Julias Rhein..." he said, trying out the name in his mouth as if he was searching for a snip of information he'd left buried beneath a pile of more important intel, "Aren't you part of Fleet Admiral Bao's security detail?" he asked, intentionally omitting Bao's Humbarine title in favor of her given Corellian rank.

 

[Malicar]

To the outside galaxy, Malicar Raith was a corporate mogul, the owner of one of the largest shipping companies in the galaxy. The noble learned at an early age that the demeanor of the typical Chiss often did not sit well with most of the galaxy. The traits that came through were an arrogance and coldness that made the Chiss stereotype. However, Malicar Raith studied interaction since he was a small boy. When dealing with the galaxy at large and shipping freight across the galaxy, cordial interaction was not only recommended, it was a necessity.

To a select few, Malicar Raith was known as someone else: the Crimelord of the Eclipse Consortium. It was the largest criminal syndicate in the Chiss Ascendancy, but time was not kind to the Ascendancy and sources of income began to dry up. It was then that Malicar realized his future would not rest there. While his House still remained, his efforts would have to be elsewhere.

An opportunity came in the form of the Corellian Confederation. Interstellar Shipping had business in Corellia and had been operating out of that planet for some time. His familiarity with that area of space provoked his move there. Seeing that the center of galactic trade was where he needed to be, he settled in.

Opportunity came in another form: Corellian Confederation Intelligence. The Eclipse Consortium would stay loyal to the Corellian Confederation, providing support and information. In return, the Eclipse Consortium would be given a loose lease to operate within their borders. It was a dicey situation due to the Governor-General Lisza Starseeker being completely unaware of this arrangement. She simply knew Malicar Raith as the owner of Interstellar Shipping. Appearances were everything…

The Shadow Hammer made the transit without issue. Having any escort that came with him wait outside was all the security Malicar felt he needed. While always armed, with a holdout blaster behind his back and a well-concealed springblade at his wrist, he felt protected enough. His clothes, as usual were a bit “heavier” than normal clothes. When you lived a life of crime, an event such as this was always an opportunity for eneimes. But Malicar’s paranoia served him well in this instance.

Striding in, the chiss made his way into the ballroom. His bright red eyes quickly scanned the crowd, taking mental notes on each, placing names with faces for those he knew. Another layer of his scanning was visible weapons, cover, exits, measuring up all within the room—it was habit. He couldn’t help himself, even if he tried to stop. Making his way gracefully to the bar, he gave a warm smile to the small cluster of others chatting. Turning to the bartender, the chiss ordered quietly, “Tatooine Sunrise…”

As the bartender nodded and whipped up the cocktail, Malicar began to see who he could place within the Corellian Confederation. There were many he wanted to meet this night: connections and relationships were the lifeblood of his work…both types of work.

[member="Sabetha Tag"]
[member="Arage Bao"]
[member="Kaito Kiyoshi"]
[member="Yula Perl"]
[member="Julius Rhein"]

 

[Timaz Zi Dipat]

There were many seating arrangements set up throughout the room. From sofas and barstools to proper tables in booths further off towards the opposite end of the stage. Straid considered carefully where to sit to be visible to the least amount of eyes. Though he was far from a celebrity, his position directly below the Diktat meant he bumped into enough important faces to have entered into their collective consciousness as someone to know. He'd met more important officials during the last few weeks than he had over the entirety of his military career. He'd also never had so few genuinely friendly handshakes over the span of a few weeks. Despite ten years' worth of experience in the realm of politics, little had prepared him for the impersonality of interplanetary politics. As far as he figured Aureans were at least united by a common interest in seeing their planet flourish, the people out here reminded him more of sharks seeking the first sign of blood in the water. He wasn't very much fond of that particular aspect of his new position.

Two dignitaries of alien species that were quite unknown to Straid had just vacated their seats in an isolated part of the room when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. A rather tall looking man in a remarkably expensive-looking suit seemed to be heading directly towards him. Straid's eyes moved slightly towards the man's direction though he consciously stopped himself from looking. He briefly stored his cutlery on the plate and continued to look around for a seat, more to keep up the appearance than anything else. He began mentally steeling himself for another superficial conversation, running over the key points from the various public relations instructions he'd received.

"Oh, I'm not a councilor, though I can't fault you for mistaking me for one, Mr. Valdemar. I do, after all, spend quite a lot of time around the Diktat and the other councilors." He set the plate into his off-hand and extended the other towards the soldier. "The pleasure is all mine." he continued with a pleasant smile. "Ah yes, the war over the Indrexu Spiral, it was a rather long-winded and eventful campaign. Though I doubt you came to me at an event like this to be regarded with old war tales. To what do I owe the pleasure of your acquaintance then?"

[member="Aeneis Valdemar"]

 

[Aeneis Valdemar]

Grasping the other man’s hand in a firm grip, Aeneis gave the customary shake before releasing the Straid’s hand. Straid was much like Aeneis, a soldier and if there was anything the Corellian knew most was how much he hated smoke being blown up his rear exhaust so he’d treat the man with the same respect. “We-” Stopping and taking note of where they were standing along with the food that Military Adviser held, the Arkanian thought better of jumping straight into the conversation of what he wanted. If anything he did still have manners. The simple food on the plate almost brought a smile to Aeneis’ face, the life and routine of a soldier indeed. “Sir how about first we find a seat? Can’t stand in the middle of the room.”

Moving to usher the veteran to a booth in the far corner of the room where they’d have at least a small trace of privacy away from the possibly prying ears and eyes within the celebratory chamber. Sitting in one side of the booth, the lush seat against his back eased some of the aches that Aeneis’ still felt in his body from his time on Kuat fighting off the Imperials. “Well, sir let me be frank with you. You, sir, are a legend around these parts, both within the shocktroopers as well as the Defense Force. You fought against the odds, and now you’re the Military advisor of Lizsa Starseeker.”

Taking a deep breath feeling a droplet of nervous begin to form Aeneis offered a smile. “What I seek sir is your endorsement, perhaps even your recommendation to Lizsa. I seek to bring the lesser-known and underrepresented worlds and colonies within the Confederation to the public eye.”

Taking a second for the proposition to sink in and gauge the reactions of Straid, Aeneis decided to continue. “I mean worlds such as your own, such as the communities within Socorro's Belt. Those who suffer from poverty while the rich prosper. You must see what I mean?”

[member="Straid Priest"]

 

[Ava Cartwright-Pryce]

​

Ava picked up on the little look [member="Dracken Pryce"] gave the Quaren barkeep. It made her giggle to herself just a bit to see the Corellian get hot and bothered by the other male's compliment. The stiff navy man sure had come a long ways from their first 'real' encounter after the Battle of Fondor. The Ralltiiri liked to think she'd help bring him out of his shell to enjoy life just a little more than he ever allowed himself to. Life was just too short not to.

Even the kiss was more than she'd hoped for in public. Drac must have really missed me! The old saying must be true then... Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

"Oh my, Admiral... You're not suggesting we do a ship inspection starting with the auxiliary storage compartment, are you?" she teased with a mischievous glint in her blue pools before taking a sip of her drink.

When the question came up about her family situation, the commander just gazed down into the amber liquid in the tumbler. After a moment, the blonde looked up.

"My grandfather's death was unfortunate yet a blessing. The stroke had left him paralyzed on one side and unable to do the things he enjoyed most. Thank you for letting me take leave so I could go and be with him... It meant a lot to me, Drac, more than I can ever convey," Ava smiled tenderly, then she continued after a mindful pause.

"My father though is being a jerk as usual. He got real bent out of shape at the reading of the will because, well... Gramps left most of his rather large estate to me and not him... I'm afraid we are back to not speaking again. Mother is just indifferent."

Ava sighed and took another sip of the single malt, finishing it off. The familiar burn felt soothing as it went from her glossed lips down her throat to the pit of her empty stomach... something that should be remedied before too long or she'd be drunk real quick and that would not be a good thing at this type of event representing the CDF and the Starchild itself.

"So do you know who these guests aboard are? Anyone important I should meet before you are all mine for the evening's festivities?"

 

[Kian Karr]

"Having a place to come home to," Kian said smiling beneath the mask and nodding, "is what can often made those rough places bearable." Kian had spent some time on the Rim. In fact, at this point in his life, he'd probably spent time on just about every shady, crime filled location in any sector of space available. He was glad to be slowing down, focusing his attention on training and supervising the younger generation of Shadows. He was glad to be home, even if Corellia was not his birth home, its Jedi temple now was his home. Dorin hadn't been Kian's home for a long, long time.

He knew her father? Kian reached a hand up to tap his fingers on his anti-ox mask as he thought. Reaching out with the force, he focused on her. She shown bright, a living being touched by the force and trained in its use....but there was something familiar about it....Kian's mind jumped to the recent space battle at Balmorra.....of Jared Starchaser..

"You're a Starchaser?" Kian inquired smiling beneath the mask. It seemed they were everywhere these days. Kian had never known their father well, but well enough to respect him. He was a formidable Jedi. "I had the pleasure of serving recently with your brother at Balmorra and your father in the past." Kian said bowing slightly. "And now I can say I've had the pleasure of making your company."

"I'm curious," Kian said, unable to help himself in gathering information - he was a Shadow after all - "what have you been up to in the Outer Rim?"

[member="Kaia Starchaser"]​

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

​

​

A party?! The food looked sub par and yet it tasted fantastic! Located at a table to the side of the room stood Graaf himself scarfing down plates of food in a wild frenzy. waiters and servants scowled with disgust as the aquatic oaf continued. Plates fell to the ground, crumbs littered the adjacent area around him and the clatter of dishes began to pile up minute by minute. The karkadon could care less about the people attending for the moment being. All that mattered to him now was food, piloting ships and giving orders was exhausting after and stressful. It felt good to relax and engorge himself with a good meal... or eh snack. With a alien roar a finned hand brushed along his large and wide mouth region.

" Corellians have excellent taste! Now now... Where is." Nostrils expanded taking in the smell of freshly cooked meats and more specifically the blood of dead animals. " Finally. Ive been starving." Several commoners and patrons backed out of Graafs away as he pressed on to another table now ready to serve exotic meats.

" Excuse me sir. Do you know what this happens to be?! This is Fried Nexu! Do you know how rare this is to have?" Graaf sampled some. In his passion for foods he had accidently walked a poor young man into a corner.

Now the young lad had the pleasure of listening to the karkadon speak and eat at once. There was no escape.

 

[Sabetha Tag]

"Why thank you Lord Admiral." Sabetha sketched a bow, but there was amusement when she used Arage's title. There always was. When Sabetha said it, it wasn't respect. It was an affectionate tease.

"Very sordid," with a bounce of her eyebrows at Rhein. "Pleasure to meet you, Rhein. Commander eh? Must be good at your job."

There was a smile there that said everything and nothing at all, but it was gone again, replaced with a more genuine expression as she focused her attention on Arage.

Once he was out of ear shot, her grin widened however.

"It never ceases to amaze me how many attractive, boring men you manage to surround yourself with. What's news? And don't pretend you aren't happy to see me."

She drained the champange again, setting it without looking on the tray of a passing waiter.

[member="Arage Bao"] [member="Julius Rhein"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Sabetha Tag"]

Arage looked on with amusement as Sabetha.... was Sabetha.

It was a good thing she was competent.

Not that it would have made a personal difference, but it certainly made things easier. Made sure that people didn't question the fact that the Lord Admiral handed her jobs every once in a while. It made total sense an evil despot had outlaws on her payroll. Darth Vader had Boba Fett and a bunch of other bounty hunters. Arage? Had pirates, whenever something needed to get done.

"Oh, didn't you know? The Imperial Academy has stipulations of aesthetic. If your average cadet is not square-jawed, broad-chested, chiseled to perfection with a stoic air? Oh, well, they won't make it very far in academia." Arage sounded positively bored with it. Taking a sip from her glass, before shrugging. "I can probably give a few numbers, if you want to see some of them .... closer for inspection."

Fair was fair after all.

"You missed my embarrassing defeat over Balmorra." A gesture across the crowd. "Which will explain to you why I am here."

Defeat in the strictest senses of the word. She had been captured, yes, but Humbarine would have posed a large problem for the Corellians regardless of her presence. It had been completely in their own interest to negotiate something quickly.

Something beneficial.

Arage was planning on benefiting heavily, of that there was no doubt.

Expression softened just a little bit. "Pleased, yes, you are quite the asset, miss Tag." It was all her sister would get in this public avenue. "Tell me- how fares your band of miscreants? Been a major pain in the arse for some specific few?"

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

She knew Kian through the grapevine, the half-Mirialan Corellian was actually kind of excited to be back at the homeworld. She’d be gone soon enough, a Jedi Knight and Warden of the Sky, Kaia was always trying to be on the Rim. But the Core had money and the Core had her homeworld. She was fine to be back here for the time being. Maybe she could help with any diplomacy that was needed between the Coalition and the Confederation. She knew that her father may be involved, but she was seeing [member="Yula Perl"] there as well.

The Zeltron was definitely a Rim girl as well, from what she heard, but right now, it was time to turn back to Kian and pull herself away from her reverie. She smiled at Kian for a second. “One of a few. Coren’s my father, Jared’s my brother. He’s been helping out, yep. Didn’t mention the mission to Balmorra though. I never really took to the life of a squadron pilot.” She smiled. She definitely had a lot of her father in her.

“I’ve been taking over some work my father was starting, lately I’m running trips into the Kathol Outback, and bringing some mining vessels. We’re hunting for rare ores. Have a stockpile if the Confederation needs any ore.” She smiled. “Not trying to pitch sale, but would like to do what I can to help the homeworld. And if it goes to the Jedi? That’d be the best.” Really she wasn’t a saleswoman, but Master Karr did ask.

[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wui0h8gjpA4​

Are you sure?

The very words drove Saverok insane! Who was Scour to doubt his judgement and sense of direction! Who was he to threaten and warn against false intel?! Who was Scour to lead? And who was Scour to say he was better than Saverok. These were the thoughts roaming through the Gen'dais head as he made his way to the viewport of the ship. With each step his muscles tensed corresponding to the anger the flooded his mind like a poison. Hate filled eyes locked on the Captain as he directed the crew and in the blink of an eye he was pinned against the glasteel window with a slam! Thus the brawl between Captain and Adviser had begun yet again. These fights were not uncommon, they occurred rather frequently to tell the truth. Scour and Saverok would continue to beat each other to a pulp physically and when might failed then the force began to manifest in strange ways. In the end though both Gen'dai always survived the encounter gained a new found respect for one another, how this contributed to their love and hate relationship was beyond any of the crew. None dared question or interfere the two in their "bonding times".

On Bespin when Scour and Saverok fought a local thug once asked how one of the two always managed to survive the encounter. There was no answer just a series of questions to retort.
Do you know how difficult and long a fight between two Gen'dai can last? Especially when considering the esoteric powers that both of these men possess? Can you imagine how hard it is for a Gen'dai to kill another Gen'dai with nothing but your bare hands?

​

​

Location: Nearing an end to hyperspace.
Ship: " The Creature"
Objective: Scramble communications and "Negotiate" Lol!
Tags:
[member="Dracken Pryce"]
[member="Romi Jade"]
[member="Kaia Starchaser"]
[member="Arage Bao"]
[member="Sabetha Tag"]
[member="Kian Karr"]
[member="Ava Cartwright"]
[member="Aeneis Valdemar"]
[member="Straid Priest"]
[member="Malicar"]
[member="Kaito Kiyoshi"]
[member="Yula Perl"]
[member="Julius Rhein"]
@Whoever else... so many names

The hues of blue, white, cyan and black gouged the Gen'dais field of vision as Saverok fell into trance. Pondering if his carefully plotted plan would be executed the way he had foreseen. Body sore from a conflict handled not so long ago the monstrous giant standing in front of the viewport growled as the alert systems and lights fell in unison. It was a warning that hyperspace would soon reach its end and thus it would all begin. " Get ready to board." a deep voiced stated shoving past a crew member of the Ten Thousand Fists. Striding down the corridor in long steps Saverok made sure to deliver a powerful kick to a unconscious Scour that lay on the floor. Hibernation. When a Gen'dais body could take no more it had no choice but to recover in full. This was how the more serious encounters between Captain and Advisor ended. One of them knocked unconscious. A vicious cycle for power and dominance. Other Gen'dai gave a glare at such actions.

" Aye.. Sir.. Are you-" Words were cut short when Saveroks overbearing voice and sudden presence was summoned forth in full. With a simple lean backwards his body swiftly traveled down the hall to intercept with blinding speed. " AM I WHAT!??!!! Finish your karking sentence you poodoo filled maggot! Do it!" His eyes blazed red in rage. The Creature rocked when hyperspace's grasp released the ship and threw it back into realspace. A massive vessel armed to the teeth on practically every side and shields strong enough to endure much punishment. It was an older ship and lacked many more modern technologies that the current era of vessels had equipped.. for now. But today, The Ten Thousand Fists needed not to worry about attack or defense.

" Hail this Starchild. Dont stop intill they respond and do not tell me they wont. They will." A point jabbed at another station of the ship. " Drive us forward within their weapon range. They cant fire at us. Not with our precious cargo. Retract the blast tinting for the hulls guest chambers and jam long range communications. Hahaha!" Within seconds the outer portions of The Creature's hull retracted its camouflaged blast tinted filters. Bulbous circular bumps covered the entirety of the ship. They were prison cells out looking the dark voids of space.

And inside each and every bubble cell were living people. Humanoids and aliens alike. A scan would reveal every detail. Attacking the ship meant inflicting harm on innocents.

Living meat shields...cowardly.

" Starchild! We mean you no harm, You are save now. You will lower your shields, power down your engines and shut off all weapon systems. Prepare to be boarded or we will send you all straight to hell itself. You have five minutes to respond."