Turn Up The Lights In Here, Baby. Extra Bright I Want Y'all To See This. (GR/GA/Naboo)

[Kenrath]

[member="Jamie Pyne"] [member="Nicolas Thorne"]

Myles Skyreaper a Corporal in the Republic Army made his way towards the bridge. After being nearly killed along with almost all of his squad during the Mandalorian Clans invasion of Kashyyk he had spent some time in sickbay before getting reassigned to the ship currently carrying Jedi Knight Thorne. After the fall of the Republic with nowhere else to go Myles hung around. Mostly out of duty but also because there was nowhere else to go.

For the moment Myles had taken to shadowing the Jedi Knight around serving as bodyguard while the man played Diplomat. Myles arrived on the bridge a mere minute after Nicolas did sticking by the door and waiting. He wore a suit and a single civilian model blaster. Though his hair cut and mannerism would scream military.

Myles observed silently only speaking unless asked a question his eyes constantly on a swivel.

 

[John Ash]

Naboo...kark it. The planet was not as fun and friendly as people made it out to be. Come and relax amongst all the natural beauty! Lies. All lies. John knew the world was no better than Nar Shaddaa was on the inside, no matter how much they tried to polish the outside. It had as much crime and vice as his own home planet, just Nar Shaddaa was more honest about it. It was great that someone had ruffled the feathers of the locals a bit. It had lead him to a job though, so it was that much better too for it.

John stood in the bridge of the ship of his current employer [member="Nicolas Thorne"] . He was suppose to be extra security along with [member="Myles Skyreaper"] during some kind of diplomatic mission. They claimed to be from the Galactic Republic too. The Republic should have been scattered to the winds and dead though after their inevitable defeat by the hands of the Mandalorians. But no, it seemed they were going the way of the old Empire and being made up of a bunch of splinter groups. All of which claimed they were the true Republic. The True Republic had lost Coruscant to the Sith. The True Republic had let his mother die out of some false sense of loyalty to a weak government. The True Republic was what had gotten his father maimed, which lead to him dying from a spice overdose....

John let out a sigh as he shifted his weight. He was focusing on the past again. It didn't matter what happened in the past. He had taken payment to escort some guy as he talked with someone named [member="Jamie Pyne"] . He just needed to forget that he was working for some guy who claimed to be part of the faction that got his parents killed on the planet that had almost gotten him killed once before. He was working right now and that was all that mattered. All he had to do was stand here in his leathers with his pistol holsters on his hip until he was told to move.

OOC: What he is wearing.

Spoiler

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Myles Skyreaper"] [member="John Ash"] [member="Nicolas Thorne"] [member="Jamie Pyne"]

The Naboo flotilla decanted beside the new arrival and transmitted the usual nonverbal pings. IFF identified the vessel as a Jocasta-class light corvette, the Azure Star. The model was -- had been -- affiliated with the Republic's Jedi Order. The cruiser RNS Jamillia began comprehensive scans.

The scans concluded in short order that the Azure Star was no warship, despite its miniature fighter bay and powerful plasma cannons. The scans also concluded that there were no empion mines aboard, nor any sensor shadows where such things could be concealed.

Ajira gave the okay for Lady Pyne to be informed that everything appeared to be legitimate and safe.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

A rapping of knuckles against her door was followed by the baritone voice of a crew member dispatched to retrieve Jamie from her room. It would seem their trip had gone rather uneventfully, much to the surprise and delight of one Jamie Pyne. More than enough excitement had gone on over the past week to last the young noblewoman a lifetime. All she could hope for now was that this meeting went well enough to at the very least, lay the groundwork for some kind of future discussion between Naboo and this splinter group that wished to call itself the Republic. The Republic was a term loosely thrown about lately, with more than half a dozen branches referring to themselves as such. Time would tell however which would become the strongest, and if that one would become the beacon of light that its' namesake and origins projected from centuries long since past. There was quite a bit riding on this meeting.

"Ma'am, we've arrived." The voice from beyond the door would call. "Very well. Thank you!" Taking one last moment to catch her image within the mirror, carefully adjusting both her hair and attire, Jamie then proceeded out, accompanied by the man that had been sent for her towards the hangar of the Jamillia. The man with her placed a call to the bridge informing [member="Ajira Cardei"] that Jamie was on her way to board one of the LL-1400 Scoutships. The smaller vessel would take her to the docking port of the Azure Star, allowing the woman to board the presumed representative of this New Republic. It would take around fifteen or so minutes for the ship to prep and for the woman to be on her way, however she would make sure that the crew of the Jamillia communicated her departure with the Azure Star.

[member="Nicolas Thorne"] | [member="John Ash"] | [member="Myles Skyreaper"] | [member="Yarva Adisu"]

 

[Carbon]

Back on Naboo, a lone green twenty-something in a purple gi was struggling up the side of the starship wreck. In many ways, it was just a smoldering, smoking mountain that needed surmounted. He'd passed through flowing rivers of first responders, now bulwarked by planetary security forces who were adding their considerable muscle to the effort. But the rescue was still going slow, and with Force-enhanced muscle he tore open a buckled hatch and threw it down the hull.

A clatter and some shouting said it had been near hitting someone, but he was inside by the time that occurred. Inside, torn grating and bloody walls were given urgency by ruddy red emergency lighting, casting a sense of impending doom upon the surreal scene. Smoke curled along the cieling, rising towards the escape he'd made by coming in. Descending deeper, he went towards the sounds of flames and the gentle pressure of nearby life.

The Force was his guide, but as he made his way through corridors still strewn with bodies, he questioned the wisdom of being a stranger without a badge around here.

[member="Jamie Pyne"] [member="Ajira Cardei"]

 

[H3xle]

[member="Jamie Pyne"] [member="vengeance"] [member="yarva adisu"] [member="ajira cardei"] [member="John Ash"] [member="Myles Skyreaper"]

"Sir, we have a shuttle inbound from the lead Naboo ship." The communications tech told him.

"Good. Are the Jay Ones anchored to the exterior hull?" He asked in reply.

"Yes, sir." The navigation watch stander replied. "Weapons are locked down and shields are inactive."

Nicolas nodded and turned to the two other non-naval personnel on the bridge.

"Mr. Ash, Mr. Skyreaper. We should adjourn to the room we prepared for the meeting." He said, looking at each of them to gauge if they were ready for the coming meeting. If either of them were familiar with the past few incarnations of Republic diplomacy, they were about to see something new. He then lead the way from the bridge, walked the relatively short distance to the empty meditation suite that had been retrofitted for this meeting. Nicolas sat himself on one side of the table, making sure that someone from either delegation could see the door. He wanted to make sure everyone was as at ease as possible.

 

[Kenrath]

Myles gave a quick confirmation nod to Nico.

"Yes Sir."

Once the Jedi passed through the door he turned and followed. He made sure to stay two or three steps behind the man. He never said a word even as Nico took his seat. He was curious why the man didn't have someone meet their guest at the hanger but it was not his job or his purpose to question the man's actions.

Myles simply moved around the table and posted himself with his back against the wall so that he could see the table, Nico, and the door into the room all at the same time. His hands clasped in front of him and his belt buckle.

[member="Nicolas Thorne"] [member="Jamie Pyne"] [member="John Ash"]

 

[John Ash]

Nothing was happening. It was all quiet, aside from the low chatter of crew members speaking to each other. These sort of jobs were always like this. Just stand around doing nothing while people either read over stuff from holopads or chatted away with each other about rather trivial matters. Eventually some kind of agreement would or wouldn't be made and then it was time to leave. No sort of action happening. No threats to life or limb. No interest from John what so ever. This job was sure to be the same way, but at least it was easy credits.

A call came through and John's employer spoke a bit with one of the crew on the bridge. It seemed it was time to move from the bridge, which could be semi-interesting, to another room that was likely to be more boring than here. As he was ordered to follow, it was proven to be true. So he quietly went with the space wizard and the soldier with a goatee to a rather serene room. Interesting place to meet with others. He would have personally chosen a place with a better exit plan than a single door and more intimidating than a loth cat, but he wasn't here to offer his opinion. He was here to be quiet, keep an eye on the other guys, and shoot someone if need be.

The boss man took a seat on the side of the table with the door to his side. That was not a very tactical move. You always sat with the wall to your back and opening in plain sight. This was how people got shot. Didn't matter though. Just needed to keep quiet and let them play politics with each other. John moved to stand behind [member="Nicolas Thorne"] where he was mostly facing towards the door. He leaned against the wall and got himself comfortable as his hand rested not far from his pistol. Time to see how things played out and how easy this Naboo job would go. Hopefully not a repeat of last time.

[member="Myles Skyreaper"] [member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

A few minutes of tense travel between the RNS Jamillia and the Azure Star later and Jamie would receive the word that the ship had docked, and was now safe to disembark. "Would you like an escort, Ma'am?"

Jamie shook her head and smiled. "No, thank you. I can handle myself. If things turn out poorly, I'm certain [member="Ajira Cardei"] will handle things appropriately."

The man nodded, offering an honorary salute to the woman as she stepped outside the hatchway of her ship, entering the Azure Star while being greeted by two guards with blaster rifles and pistols on their shoulders and hips respectively. "This way, miss." The man to her left said, directing her towards the meeting room that [member="Nicolas Thorne"] had prepared for them.

As she reached the room the door was opened for her, a silent Thank You was made through her lips to the man before she took up a seat across from Nicolas. The others present she was unfamiliar with, but the fact that the two were standing, leaned up against the wall with a blaster at their side made things slightly uncomfortable, even if her own lightsaber clung to her hip in the open.

"Nicolas, I gather?" She said, extending her hand towards the Jedi, "I'm Jamie."

[member="John Ash"] | [member="Myles Skyreaper"] | [member="Yarva Adisu"]

 

[Carbon]

Heading down into the ship, he found himself wishing he'd brought his helmet. It was near impossible to see, the smoke nearly choking the light from the corridors. Ahead, he could hear the crackle of flame, and what sounded like a firefighting crew. But even now, it was hard to tell which way it was coming from. There was too many echoes from too many fires, and the settling, creaking metal as stress caused it to bend and adjust like a ship sinking beneath the ocean's surface.

With a frown, he hooked himself around a corner and trundled in that direction, finding himself heading back up and towards daylight. Halfway up the spine, realizing the voices had grown quieter, he turned around. Again, he descended, but this time he took a side corridor, and sure enough, he found what he was looking for.

Down a hallway of rooms that'd likely been purchased for the voyage out of the system, or into the system, he wasn't sure, he found a single door locked partway open, flames blowing out through the gap. A pair of firefighters were struggling with a hose that didn't seem to be so much as making a dent. They started when they saw him, and one motioned for him to get going. He yelled something, but it was lost in the roar of the flames. This area was still, it seemed, entirely on fire.

Imagine that.

Walking up to the doorway, he summoned up the force in his hands and began churning the air about. At first, the flames grew in intensity, and the firefighters took a step back as oxygen was fed in. One went to grab his shoulder, but Yarva shrugged him off, working the vortex of air until it formed a vacuum and sucked the life out of the flame. A few coughs were heard from the other side after a few seconds - once breathable air returned - and he gave a faint smile before coughing up a lungful of particles from the smoke.

The firefighters, happy to be free of the flames, went to the door and started attempting to pry it open. Yarva continued his hacking fit.

 

[H3xle]

"Nicolas, I gather?" She said, extending her hand towards the Jedi, "I'm Jamie."

Nicolas smiled and took the offered hand and shook it.

"Jamie, it is a pleasure to meet you. Please excuse the cliche when I say that I wish it were under better circumstances." There was an earnestness within Nicolas that [member="Jamie Pyne"] would be able to see as genuine, yet also the lines of fatigue. "Please, have a seat. Would you like anything to drink?" Nicolas offered, playing the part of host. He looked to [member="John Ash"] and [member="Myles Skyreaper"] and made a motion offering them a seat at the table. Whether they did so or not, Nicolas wanted them to know he didn't want them to be merely bodyguards, as Nicolas wasn't entirely comfortable thinking of himself as important enough for such. He then returned his full attention to Jamie.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Nicolas Thorne"] [member="Jamie Pyne"] [member="John Ash"] [member="Myles Skyreaper"]

RNS Jamillia, by this point, knew what the Azure Star had eaten for breakfast and what its mother's maiden name was. Jocasta-class light corvette, formerly of the Republic and the Jedi Order. Unusual armament - electromagnetic plasma cannons, hunter-killer torpedoes, military countermeasures, very good shields, very good targeting gear. Two-fighter hangar. Slow as feth in realspace and past lightspeed. Plenty of internal space devoted to emptiness. She'd seen a hundred training ships and knew practice areas when she saw them. And yes, those other bits were the encrypted long-range comms that would let the Azure Star coordinate operations across galactic distances.

In short, an instrument of Jedi survivability, a base of Jedi operations. Not a threat to the Jamillia, but a worthy ship in its way.

Memory came around: other training vessels she'd known. The Stormblessed, the Shang Ra'la, Sirella's Botany Bay, many others. Bad memories, good ones too. But even the good ones reminded her of better days, other lives, fates long since sacrificed.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"As do I."

Jamie smiled, the niceties of diplomacy not lost on her in the slightest. Whether that was because he was a Jedi or a representation of this New Republic underway was a toss up though. Not all Jedi were great at social mingling, and not all delegates were warm and inviting. He seemed to be one of the few that accomplished all of the above.

"Water would be lovely, thank you!"

Her eyes passed back towards [member="John Ash"] and [member="Myles Skyreaper"]. Their presence and position in the room made the air a bit stifled and uncomfortable. She quite hoped they would have a seat, at least then it would look much less threatening. If anything it currently looked more like an interrogation than a meeting.

"Perhaps you wouldn't mind giving me a summary of the events leading up to these splinters of the Republic? There have been a few named in its' wake, and I, as well as the rest of the crown would like to know what percentage of assets your group can account for. It's difficult for us, as I'm sure you understand, to differentiate between ships tagged as Republic vessels as to which cell they now belong to."

[member="Nicolas Thorne"] | [member="Ajira Cardei"]

 

[H3xle]

"Water would be lovely, thank you!"

Nicolas nodded and walked over to a small bar and slipped behind it. Making sure to keep his movements well in view, he poured water from an iced, glass carafe, then brought the glass, and one he poured for himself, back to the table. He set them down, then took a sip of his. All of it was meant to bring ease, showing he wasn't poisoning her, and whatnot. "Here you are."

"Perhaps you wouldn't mind giving me a summary of the events leading up to these splinters of the Republic? There have been a few named in its' wake, and I, as well as the rest of the crown would like to know what percentage of assets your group can account for. It's difficult for us, as I'm sure you understand, to differentiate between ships tagged as Republic vessels as to which cell they now belong to."

"In a nutshell, utter madness." He said with a small, almost sad, smirk. "People did not like it when the Lasedri Coup happened, but they persisted in the hopes that, after everything had settled, a reasonable leader would be found. While I have nothing against Jack, his agreeing to keep Hadrix on as Supreme Commander turned out to be a stupendously large mistake." He took a sip of water. "That was when I started feeling out people in the Senate and Armed Forces to break away. I had spent most of my time outside of the Republic, trying to help bring order to the Galaxy in areas where no one patrolled. I came back after word of the debacle at Roche reached me. I started gathering people, meeting with them in person, and doing my level best to leave no electronic trace except for my entry and exit logs for planetary systems. I...I didn't move fast enough, in all honesty. Things calmed for a while, the Republics status fell, people stopped attacking planets aligned with the Republic, so I didn't act on my preparations. Then Suravi Teigra went mad." He shrugged. "That is all I can assume it was, I was never close to her. Not likely even on her radar until we broke away. When she assisted the Sith on Atrisia, I called in every favor I could muster to evacuate Denon and other worlds." He closed his eyes as he sipped his water again, then took a deep breath. "​Many died in those evacuations, and those lives sit on my shoulders, and the shoulders of my compatriots that helped organize the evacuations. The plans had all been in place since a couple years after Roche, but we waited. Those we got out rendezvoused at an old Republic beacon between systems. There we took stock. It is that anchorage that I came here from. I came aboard my ship, as it is registered as a Jedi vessel."

He realized that he was almost at the point of rambling, and leaned forward with a small smile. "So...madness caused the Schism. Suravi is out there with her forces, but she has drifted so far from sanity that she doesn't even comprehend what the Republic should stand for. What it once did." He took a breath, looking [member="Jamie Pyne"] in the eyes. "I am having my fleet engineers retool our IFF transponders to take care of the issue. If you are willing, I will give you the new codes for the Galactic Republic's ships. It doesn't take care of Suravi, that is a long term problem, I am assuming. But it should help identify our ships from hers."

[member="Ajira Cardei"] [member="John Ash"] [member="Myles Skyreaper"]

 

[Kenrath]

Myles looked at Nico and gave the man a nod when offered the seat but remained standing. He would however turn to [member="Jamie Pyne"] and give her a polite nod.

"Cpl Myles Skyreaper Ma'am."

He did glance briefly at his counter part before resuming his vigilant posture as Nico and Jamie began to discuss back and forth. He of course had his own opinions of past and recent events but his obviously kept them to himself. For the moment he was just an out of work Soldier trying to make a living. Which was of course going to be a difficult thing to accomplish unless the Jedi was secretly a billionaire. Which Myles highly doubted.

[member="Nicolas Thorne"] [member="Ajira Cardei"] [member="John Ash"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie accepted the glass with a warm smile and a "Thank you." before taking a sip and setting it down in front of her.

For several minutes she listened patiently while Nicolas explained the origins of his new Republic, as well as the events leading up to the inevitable demise of its' former implementation, including those responsible for its' continued and eventual downfall. A great number of things had to fall into place for that to have been the final outcome, however nonetheless it had been what happened. Much of what he spoke of had happened in the years prior, before Jamie had much involvement with the crown of Naboo. She was after all barely nineteen, and a child in the eyes of most of the galaxy.

"Changing IFF codes will likely settle any issues with security protocol back on Naboo, which should also be forwarded to the Galactic Alliance Defense Force as well. However-" She said, pausing for another moment to sip from the water. "The concern isn't so much with identifying your ships as it is with the mage that my people now have of the Republic." Jamie understood the man sitting across from her to be a Jedi. She herself was in fact, by some stretch of the term, a Jedi as well, if not by association with an order, or code, but morality and ethics. "They are afraid." As people would be following a terrorist attack by a named government.

"My words can only do so much to quell those fears. It will take both time and gestures of mutual peace for those to subside."

[member="Nicolas Thorne"] | [member="Ajira Cardei"] | [member="John Ash"] | [member="Myles Skyreaper"]

 

[H3xle]

"My words can only do so much to quell those fears. It will take both time and gestures of mutual peace for those to subside."

"Though it isn't truly right for me to ask, time and forbearance are why I am here. That, and to make amends. Crimes done in the name of The Republic need to be answered by the Republic. Naboo has been the most recent victim, and I am here to offer both the olive branch, and any assistance Naboo and the Galactic Alliance may need."

His reply was entirely sincere, and made with the same small smile. He took a sip of water.

((OOC Sorry, I'm exhausted, but I didn't want to let this thread slip by.))

 

[John Ash]

The woman, this [member="Jamie Pyne"] , that they were to meet with entered. She was young, far too young for this kind of thing. John raised a brow at the sight of her, but he held his tongue. What was with Naboo and weird things happening? He needed to avoid this planet like the Gulag plague in the future before he got caught up in some galaxy shaking event that lead to a galactic empire or some kind of moody, whiny space wizard that is more powerful than any other one out there. This karking planet and.....He had to take a breath and calm himself down. Naboo and Coruscant. Those two planets always got to him, mentioned or visited. He knew how they got to him and yet here he was taking a job to go to one of them. He was even harping about it without stopping to himself. He should focus on the events before him in case this young woman pulled out a pocket blaster or the likes.

The boss man, [member="Nicolas Thorne"] , asked him to sit down as well as the soldier, [member="Myles Skyreaper"] . He looked between the dark skinned space wizard and the young woman acting like a queen for a moment before pushing himself off of the wall. Politics. What a headache. This was why he preferred Nar Shaddaa. You always knew what to expect from the other party. Usually a rough individual of questionable ethnicity and race with their hand on their trigger the entire conversation. It was far more calming to know that the person on the other end of the table was ready to end you on the slightly hint of hostility. Kept everyone civil. But these political chats? You never knew what weapon they were bringing to the table. It might be a pocket blaster or it might be a pocket Star Destroyer ready to slag your ship on the whim of the person on the other side of the table. It was unnerving and unnatural. Better knowing where you both stand going in, ready to end the other karkers life if they even think of ending yours.

John sat at the end of the table where he was equally distanced from both Jamie and Nicolas. He wanted to keep the door in sight as well as his client and the one he was meeting with. Appearances were always meant to deceive others. A young woman in pretty clothes was as dangerous as a thug with a holster on their hip. The girl might not have a blaster, but she was trying to lead you to an impression that might be completely wrong. He sat down and just kept his gaze on whoever was chatting at the moment while keeping the other in the corner of his eyes. It was his job after all, even if the planet they were at was making him extra paranoid. Luckily the conversation was going about how he expected it. Nice words after nice words with little actually being said. So far it had just been "We are doing things so people know we are different." "Naboo people are antsy and upset." "How can we help make them not upset?" Wasted minutes of all their time when they could have gotten everything said in the first two.

OOC: Sorry for how long I took.

[member="Ajira Cardei"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Understandable." She said, nodding. Her attention shifted momentarily to John as he took a seat between the two Jedi, seemingly lightening the tension in the atmosphere by a small degree. At least on Jamie's end, anyway.

"Well to begin, it would be a great help if you could offer any information or assistance in locating Suravi. Whatever you have on file regarding her would be of great value to us." Perhaps he would have that information, perhaps Suravi had taken it during her purge.

The Republic was so splintered Jamie had no idea of what their records looked like, or if they even still maintained any.

[member="Nicolas Thorne"] | [member="Myles Skyreaper"] | [member="John Ash"]e | [member="Ajira Cardei"]

 

[Kenrath]

Myles heard the Lady's request regarding Suravi and politely cleared his throat speaking to Nico.

"With all due respect Sir we are not Bounty Hunters. We have a duty to the people to guide them and protect them looking to the future."

It was not that Myles did not appreciate the fact that his former boss was wanted by most of the Galaxy. It was simply that what few resources they had were better suited to the rebuilding and protection of the Republic's citizens.............well future citizens.

[member="Nicolas Thorne"] [member="John Ash"] [member="Jamie Pyne"]