Chapter 1: A Treaty on the Brink
|
Star Wars: |
|---|
|
Stories |
|
Characters |
|
Suggested Music: Star Wars Return of the Jedi Soundtrack - CD 1 Track 9 - Alliance Assembly
5 Elona, 25 ABY - Berchest System, Anthos Sector, Inner Rim
Aboard the Leviathan, Jedi Master Akea Oahu watched as the starlines reverted to realspace. The beautiful planet of Berchest appeared along with a sizeable New Republic fleet in orbit. Berchest was chosen as the location for the talks for various reasons. It is in close proximity to the sectors that the Imperial Remnant operates out of. There is a certain level of comfort for both the Empire and the Republic. Although the world is now a member of the New Republic, the sizable minority of the populace has a certain sympathy for the Empire as the world only recently converted its allegiance. Regardless of those points, the talks would be taking place on a starship of some kind. It would be unlikely the Empire would agree to have talks on the surface of an opposing world for security reasons. The Bastion Accords themselves, though quite a public spectacle, were signed aboard Pellaeon's flagship, the Chimaera.
Jedi Knight Allanar Onsai was flying beside the Leviathan in his StealthX fighter. Both ships were guided New Republic traffic control to land on the NRS Amity, a Nebulon-B Frigate at the center of the navy line. He guided his DeepWater-class freighter into the hangar. There was only one other transport in the hangar; the rest of the bay, which could normally accommodate up to two fighter squadrons, was empty.
As the ramp to the Leviathan was lowering and as Allanar was climbing down from the cockpit of his fighter, a group was approaching to meet them. The Jedi instantly recognized the woman at the center of the group as Minister of State Shira Tal. She was a six-foot tall Togruta dressed in elegant robes. Behind her were three younger Togrutas, a human, and a Quarren, who looked to be her assistants or associates. She had a brilliant smile on her face and was eager to meet the two Jedi.
"Welcome to the Amity," she said to the Jedi with a smile as she approached. "We are very glad representatives from the Jedi Order are able to be present at today's meeting. As you are well aware, the fragile peace between the New Republic and Imperial Remnant is collapsing quickly and this meeting is a final effort to salvage the Bastion Accords."
The group exchanged introductions and some small talk. They began to depart the hangar, and the Minister spoke as they were walking. "We have three hours before Pellaeon's delegation is scheduled to arrive. The talks will be held on this very ship, the Amity. Representatives from Talon Karrde's information-brokering organization are already here. We also have representatives from NR Intelligence. Now that you have arrived, we will discuss our strategy for the talks. Please let me or my assistants know if you need anything prior to the talks."
She continued navigating the Nebulon-B's hallways, heading towards the meeting room where they were to begin preparations.
After the introductions had been made, Akea Oahu moved quietly through the Amity's hallways alongside the Minister. He carried himself in the loose 'S' shape that most members of his species assumed when dealing with humanoid species ((OOC: See example picture on Akea's page)), propelling himself forward with muscular contractions of his lower midsection. Typically, Akea didn't bother with Jedi robes (the fit was an awkward one, anyway), though it did little to disguise his station - he was unmistakable, as elder Dur Sabon were rarely seen off their homeworld. He had brought his lightsaber along for the trip, though he'd left it aboard the Leviathan. Even if trouble broke out, Akea preferred to leave his defense in the hands of the Force, though he suspected none at this juncture. His adornments were minimal - he did wear a bracelet, upon which was inscribed Aurebesh and Sabonese transcriptions of the Jedi Code. On his other arm he wore a larger band around his wrist; this band opened to reveal both Akea's comlink and a holopad.
He had taken some time to review the agreements set forth in the Bastion Accords before boarding the Amity, and pondered them as they approaching the meeting room. He knew that it was not the place of the Jedi Order to be policymakers, and did his best to remain objective in his judgments of the agreement - they would provide input to the New Republic and Imperial officials alike, in an effort to guide both parties to a harmonious solution. At the end of the day, it wasn't their decision - open ears and minds were the best they could hope for. As their walk continued, Akea shifted a glance toward Allanar.
He was glad to see Allanar again - the two hadn't worked together since the Second Imperium Crisis, and Akea felt Allanar's unique background would allow him mediate between these parties especially well. Finally, when the blast door that stood between the group and the meeting room became visible, Akea spoke up as he looked to Shira Tal.
"We are honored to be your guests at this conference, and your hospitality is most appreciated. It is my hope that we are able to redeem the Bastion Accords to the benefit of all parties involved, although I remain wary of the threat the Imperial Remnant may pose if resolved to aggression."
The Dur Sabon vocal cavity extended throughout a significant portion of the serpentine body, producing a thick, baritone Basic, though Oahu in particular had mastered a nearly flawless Coruscanti accent. He paused after speaking and looked again to Allanar, giving the Jedi Knight (as well as the Minister) a chance to speak before they entered the meeting room.
Dan 01:37, 30 March 2009 (EDT)
Allanar hopped down out of his starfighter, nodding in welcome to his fellow Jedi who he'd not worked with since The Second Imperium, still very grateful to the elder Jedi for his recommendation. without it he might have still been a padawan. His attention returned to the issue at hand as he looked to the Minister and her entourage, exchanging introductions and polite greetings as they moved through the halls of the Amity. Allanar looked the more typical Jedi of the two, which was not surprising given the uniqueness of the Dur Sabon species, and he was dressed in the familiar brown Jedi robes that set him apart as a member of the Jedi Order. Also unlike his more experienced counterpart Allanar did not so easily separate himself from his lightsaber, which hung on his hip, hidden under the thick layers of his robes. As they came to a pause at the blast door he bowed just slightly to echo his fellow Jedi's feelings of gratitude towards the Minister before speaking.
"I too share my companion's concern about the threat of the Imperial Remnant, and if fractured it may prove to be more dangerous even than a unified body. And I hope that we can assure peace to all people of the galaxy once again."
Allanar held a unique view of the Empire and its remnants, and it was not one that was always as negative as one might expect from a Jedi of the era. He hoped that the unique position and his expereinces would provide him insight into the matter at hand, so that it might be resolved without further conflict. Without a doubt the loss on both sides would be catastrophic if conflict across the galaxy resumed. He would defer throughout the conference to the elder Akea who he respected greatly and was, without a doubt, the better negotiator of the two Jedi.
--FyreFly 21:54, 30 March 2009 (EDT)
Three gentlebeings were quietly chatting amongst themselves when the Minister and Jedi entered the room. The murmur of their collective voices faded and they stood from their chairs. The table had just enough seats left for the the Minister, her aides, and the two Jedi. Once they all filed in, the Minister politely broke the silence, "Allow me to introduce you to everyone."
The first was a male Omwati in a fine military-style suit, though it had no insignia. "This is Wilhelm Finwat, our representative from Karrde's organization." Next him was a Duro NR Naval officer. "Colonel Lethos Trendales, commanding officer of the Praesitlyn defense force and survivor of the Imperial attack." Each man nodded as Shira proceeded with the final introduction, a female Devaronian with pointed ears and black shoulder-length hair, "and Agent Demev'leinse, or Demev, from NR Intelligence."
And to the three individuals, she introduced the Jedi. They all took a seat at the table and Shira spoke first, "Let's bring everyone up to speed shall we? We all know about the incident at Praesitlyn. The Remnant has denied they are responsible for the attack. While the media is having a field day blaming the Remnant and stoking the tensions, both Karrde and NRI believe there is significant merit to the Remnant's claim."
Demev, the Devaronian, chimed in. "That's right, Minister." She tapped a few buttons on the console before her, causing the holodisplay at the center of the table to produce the schematics of an Imperial-class Star Destroyer. "We ran the schematics of this Star Destroyer through our database of all known Imperial vessels. It took some digging due to some repair work that prevented a match, but we eventually came to the conclusion that this Star Destroyer was last seen 16 years ago at the Battle of Sluis Van. It sustained a significant amount of damage around the nose of the star destroyer, as you can see in the schematic, the repairs were never fully complete."
"The star destroyer has not been seen since, and it's never been a part of the inventory that Pellaeon provided when the Bastion Accords were signed. It's possible his surprise is as genuine as ours."
The Colonel of the Praesitlyn Defense Force spoke next, "While there were a number of things out-of-the-ordinary about their attack, one thing was not - their skill. This was not a star destroyer on a skeleton crew. Every gun was blazing, every station was manned, every starfighter squadron was deployed. For being rogue, they sure looked like a well organized force. If it wasn't for the surprise attack, we could have taken it out. But it was able to disable our two largest ships before we even knew what hit us."
Minister Tal resumed, "With all these things in mind, I intend to take Pellaeon at his word that he is not directly responsible for the fiasco. But Imperial influence is dwindling across the galaxy and Pellaeon knows it. There is significant support for a declaration of war in the Senate and Pellaeon knows it. He's in a position to bargain, not to bully. If he wanted a war, he wouldn't be on his way here. Now, it is not surprising that there may be dissension in the top Imperial ranks. Pellaeon has been, shall we say, less than trustworthy over the course of his lifetime so we must proceed with caution. But our overall strategy, from the Ministry of State, is this: We reaffirm our peace treaty with the Remnant with a few more provisions to help solve this mystery and prevent future events such as this from occurring."
"We will demand the Remnant's cooperation tracking down this rogue star destroyer and any other military units gone rogue within their organization. We need more transparency into their finances, their contracts, and their operations. There's no doubt in my mind that Pellaeon or his Moffs have a good idea who was behind the events at Praesitlyn and perhaps what their motives were. We need them to divulge that information for the safety of the New Republic. If they choose to hide such information, or play dumb, it would be a curious move, in my opinion. While we're trying to prevent a war between the NR and Empire, we're also trying to prevent a war within the Empire itself. The galaxy has seen enough bloodshed over the years. I'd like to see diplomacy shine going forward."
Shira Tal, in her first meeting with Jedi, was unsure how to treat their role in the negotiations. Throughout her life the Jedi were the guardians the peace and justice, and she had no doubt the two Jedi in the room were quite capable and level-headed. Luke would not have sent Jedi who weren't superbly equipped for a diplomatic venture such as this. She had confidence in her efforts, but hoped the Jedi could help even further to convince Pellaeon and his subordinates that this was the right course of action benefiting all parties, especially with so many lives at stake.
Her pause left an opening for anyone to interject with their thoughts.
(OOC: If you have multiple questions go ahead and group them up, if not, let me know so I know to continue. Once the Q&A is over I intend to jump straight to the meeting. Also we're getting to the point where I might need some stats. XP aside, go ahead and draft some stats for your characters based on what you think they should be at. We can adjust later as we build the system, I just need an idea of the level at which your characters are at in some skills. I statted out Galnor Wynova as an example.)
Kirkland 23:16, 30 March 2009 (EDT)
Akea Oahu waited patiently for an opportunity to speak. When one was provided to him by the minister, he produced a low, guttural noise customary of his species; it was a Sabonese analogy to the humanoid 'Hmmm...'. Thereafter, he voiced his thoughts on the precedings thus far.
"As I'm sure all present parties are well aware, any organized body of people will eventually rebel against what they perceive to be oppression. Your demands for transparency will be ill-received if you voice them to the Fleet Admiral as you have here - If indeed you intend to take Pallaeon at his word, then he is not our enemy, at least not any longer, and should be treated as such. If we attempt to strong-arm the Remnant into subservience, we will gain a short term servant at the cost of a potential long term ally; eventually, they will fight back."
Akea leaned forward a bit, as though, on Dur Sabon, he might have rested his elbows on the table and folded his webbed hands. Here, however, seating made to accommodate humanoids was simply unreasonable for a creature such as himself, and as such, he stood a few feet back from the conversing parties. This suited him anyhow, reinforcing his role as an objective advisor and observer. He continued,
"In fact, the transparency you seek may not even be a reasonable request, regardless of how it is phrased. It's quite possible even Pallaeon doesn't have the answers to these questions about funding and contracts; if indeed there is dissent within the upper echelons of Imperial Command, Pallaeon might be as ignorant to their dealings as we are. That said, I agree that Pallaeon is the best possible starting point for this investigation and is best equipped to field a guess as to who might have been at the helm of that Star Destroyer. We should present ourselves as endangered allies first - offer to help Pallaeon get his forces together and cooperating. Make sure he understands that both parties will benefit from this - as you said, nobody wants a war. Only if he proves unwilling to accept should we hint at the possibility of retribution - there's no need to stoke the flames if we don't have to. If, in the course of our activities, he once again employs subversive and underhanded tactics, it is clear that he has no wish to cooperate with the New Republic, and should be dealt with as an enemy. However, if we don't give him an opportunity to turn himself around, he certainly won't rise to the occasion. Keep that in mind in your dealings."
After pausing for a moment in thought, he made one final remark.
"On a separate note, it would be interesting to see who commanded that ship at Sluis Van..."
Akea returned to his resting posture and relinquished the floor to whoever would speak next with a vestigial, gentle puff of air from his nostrils.
Dan 02:10, 10 April 2009 (EDT)
Allanar waited patiently while the Minister spoke first, following the conversation quietly and let Akea proceed with his comments first. As he waited his turn to speak, he stepped up to the table beside Akea, choosing to stand beside him a moment and lean forward just enough to place his hands upon the table looking at the Imperial Star Destroyer projected before them.
“It should be taken into consideration that this Star Destroyer was never repaired fully, if Pallaeon and the Remnant had it for 16 years they likely would have found the resources to complete the repairs. Given that, chances are high Pallaeon didn’t know of its existence until the attack, so taking him at his word in that regard seems advisable.”
He leaned back from the table, standing straight once again as he took a moment to pause in clear contemplation. His hands folding in front of him and into the sleeves of the brown Jedi robe as he continued.
“However, that is not to say that Pallaeon might see this as an opportunity, or possibly even a new potential ally. Or that one of his Moffs hasn’t already done so, quite possibly behind Pallaeon’s back. Just keep in mind he might be scared, and by more than just The New Republic.”
With that he gave a brief scan of the room, looking back to the Minister with a slight nod to signify that he had no more to say and give her back the floor.
--FyreFly 11:50, 14 April 2009 (EDT)
The young communications officer aboard the NRS Amity nervously tapped on the control panel in front of her. "Captain," she called out, "an incoming transmission from command." The captain nodded to her, and she opened the channel for the entire bridge to hear. She looked out of the main viewport as the message played, gazing at the array of star destroyers and other heavy cruisers in the Imperial fleet that sat quietly in front of them.
"Amity, this is Salliche Sunrise. Everything is proceeding as planned. We are forwarding the authentication codes we received from the Imperial fleet. They are sending a Lambda-class shuttle with a TIE escort. Only the shuttle is cleared to land. Out."
The captain relayed the orders to his crew in both the bridge and the hangar. The comm officer on the bridge, fumbled at her controls again as she downloaded the authentication codes. This was her first day aboard the Amity; her first day aboard any Republic vessel for that matter. She did not expect to be hailing the transmissions to and from an Imperial fleet, let alone a Lambda shuttle with Admiral Pellaeon himself on board. Yet, that was what she was doing.
The Lambda shuttle cleared its authentication codes and proceeded to land. The comm officer sat down in her seat, visibly anxious. Her face began to sweat and she stared blankly at the controls.
"Renora, are you alright?" the officer next to her asked.
After a few seconds Renora Cordalis responded softly, "Yes... I don't know. It's my first day." But that wasn't why she was anxious. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach and she knew it wasn't because of her nerves. Something bad was going to happen. She just didn't know what, or when.
The New Republic delegation stood at their seats in the large conference room aboard the Amity. The delegation consisted of Minister of State Shira Tal, NRI Agent Demev'leinse, Karrde's aide Wilhelm Finwat, and the two jedi, Akea Oahu and Allanar Onsai. Four heavily armed New Republic Security Force personnel stood behind them. Three were human and one near-human with an orangish tint to his skin. They had large blaster rifles and stood at attention at all times.
A few minutes before the delegation entered the room, both Akea and Allanar felt a disturbance in the force. To Akea, the feeling was an uneasy ripple, not entirely uncommon in situations with so much at stake and an extra reason to be fully alert for anything suspicious. For Allanar, the feeling was much greater. He felt as if the ship was shrouded with a dark presence. Though weaker, it was a similar feeling to those he had in years past when he was in the presence of the Sith.
The delegation was to arrive in the conference room any minute, leaving only a small amount of time for the jedi to converse.
Kirkland 03:08, 16 April 2009 (EDT)
Akea shot Allanar a sideways glance immediately after catching the hiccup of noise in the otherwise calm aura the Force had embraced the room in prior. When Allanar's gaze confirmed that he'd felt the ripple too, Akea debated momentarily whether to ask for a moment of privacy with the Jedi Knight. He decided it wasn't worth jeopardizing an already tense negotiation just yet by introducing suspicion on the part of either party, and closed his eyes as he allowed the Force to strengthen the connection between their minds.
"Allanar, did you notice that?" Akea spoke telepathically to Allanar, unknowing of whether he could respond.
Allanar looked over to Akea and met his gaze, a nod confirmed that he had felt the same as Akea. A moment of silence as they silently debated if they should interrupt the meeting, though it was now or never. Akea's voice rang in his mind and he scanned the gathered ambassadors and intelligence agents before he returned to a neutral position. A telepathic response sent calmly to Akea. "Yes, Master. A disturbance that is all to familiar to me I am afraid." He remained still, arms folded into his Jedi robe and let the conversation stay hidden between the two Jedi for now. Fearing that revealing this would only make the situation more hostile.
Akea scanned the individuals in the room. He understood the weight of Allanar's response, and though such a disturbance was incredibly inauspicious at this moment, it was unfortunately less startling. "Can you pinpoint it? Does its familiarity draw you to a particular time or place?" Akea hoped to guide the pair to something more specific, that he might know how to shelter the treaty negotiations from what was likely to be an oncoming storm.
Allanar shifted slightly under his robes, a sign of his uneasiness to Akea. Though the others likely didn't notice as they shared an unease, though for different reasons. "Yes. It reminds me of my time serving the Empire. The Sith." He paused in his speech for a moment and exhaled a heavy breath to calm his nerves. "I believe one is aboard the ship coming to meet us. Perhaps an acolyte of that time." He glanced to the others as if he suspected they might be able to hear their conversation though clearly that was not the case.
Akea folded his larger anterior fins against the sides of his face briefly, some combination of an exhalation and gesture of stress for the Dur Sabon. He reached out into the Force, searching for the Sith. He'd known their wrath in the past, and cared not to taste it again. He wondered as well if Pallaeon knew he was accompanied by such a presence. If Pallaeon wasn't aware, the Sith might ruin an otherwise well-meaning negotiation. If Pallaeon knowingly brought a Sith acolyte aboard, it was likely that he had no intention of playing fair, though he supposed from a twisted individual's point of view, he might think it only fair to do so, given that the Republic had brought Jedi. It was of utmost importance to discern whether Palleon knew of the presence himself, so as to elucidate his intentions. Akea shifted his astral probe, trying to find Admiral Palleon. In the meantime, he called out to Allanar.
"Try to pinpoint the epicenter of the ripple. Namely, does it originate from the Imperial envoy?"
Allanar calmed his mind and pushed the stirring emotion back to where it belonged, subdued. He nodded just slightly as Akea's words registered in his mind. "I will try, but I feel as though the ship is shrouded by the dark presence." Allanar was nearly sure that whoever was responsible for the dark presence was aboard the ship. Which brought a whole new set of questions that pertained to this matter, but confirmation was necessary in such times. He calmed his mind and extended the senses of the force to the approaching ship and those inside.
Unable to pierce the shroud of darkness, Akea frowned noticeably. He considered calling off the meeting, but decided that'd be putting off a problem he'd have to face eventually anyway. He called to Akea again. "The shroud of darkness is thick indeed. There is no doubt in my mind that we are about to encounter someone capable of using the Force to his or her own twisted ends, and quite capably. Fortify your perceptions - we will need to pinpoint the source of the shroud as quickly as we can."
"Don't move to halt the negotiations just yet, but be alert and ready to counter any undue influence the acolyte may try to place on either party. If our combined strength can neutralize the dark one's power effectively enough to allow for a legitimate negotiation between Palleon and the Republic, it might be worth holding out to see what comes of it. If Pallaeon appears genuine, we can alert him to the Sith at our discretion and gauge his reaction."
He remained silent now as Akea spoke the plan, agreeing that it was the best course of action to allow the negotiations to continue. "Agreed Master. There is no doubt in my mind that the dark presense is aboard that ship. Though I cannot pinpoint exactly who, perhaps the shroud will weaken as they enter." Allanar fortified his mind and his body with the will of the force in preperations for what was coming. Even Allanar did not prefer things to come to combat between the Jedi and the Sith in this place, but it was a better solution than allowing the Sith to control or impede these negotiations. "Should we wait to confront them then, if we are in fact able to pinpoint the source?"
Akea replied quickly, knowing that the time before the Imperials entered grew ever shorter. "We can't engage that Sith in presence of the civilians here. The potential for casualties, or, worse, a hostage situation is too great. If there is no recourse to prevent the Sith from influencing the proceedings, we will call off the meeting. We will confront the Sith only once the Republic leaders are secured; until that time, peace must be our first priority, even if it means allowing an acolyte to escape for now. If a proper opportunity presents itself, we should try to separate the Sith from Palleon's entourage and keep the engagement between us."
As Akea spoke his commands, though Allanar did not disagree, he scanned the people gathered for the negotiations including a look to the guards at the back of the room. They were no match for a Sith if anything occurred, Akea was right, their hands were tied until the Republic leaders are safe. "Understood Master, the safety of Republic leaders is most critical." Allanars already more rash nature combined with the agitating link to his past made it more difficult to completely subdue his emotion. He made a strong effort to see to it his mind was clear before the Remnant representatives entered the room.
Akea spoke once more. "If the Sith should take any rash actions, neutralize the attacker as quickly as you can. I suspect you are quicker on your feet than I, and your familiarity with their practices will be a great boon to your ability to engage such a force. In the event of such a conflict, I will move to protect and evacuate the Reublic leaders while you engage the acolyte, and I will provide support as I am able."
"I will do my best to neutralize him as quickly as possible, at the very least I will keep him away from the Republic leaders until you have confirmed their safety." Allanar was almost without a doubt the quicker draw and the more suitable combatant for their given foe. He could tap into his past to predict the actions of the Sith, of the training he received and the dealings he had with them.
"Do not let your past become a source of distraction - Remember, for better and worse, you have, and always will walk the path you are meant to. What has brought you to this point now can only serve to augment your abilities. Don't forget what has happened - use it as your strength."
"Understood Master." A slight nod at Akea's advice and sound words of reasoning. This was more likely to the Jedi's advantage than to the Sith's.
The conference room door opened with a hiss and two more Security Force members entered and stood at either side of the doorway. Four stormtroopers marched in with the familiar clank of their armored boots hitting the floor in sync. Behind them was the familiar face of Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, his facial expression as stern as ever. Pellaeon walked to the center seat, across from Shira Tal, and stood as the remaining men filed in behind him, two on either side. To his left were two human officials, one female and one male. They sat across from Wilhelm and Demev and wore standard black uniforms with no insignia on them. They appeared to be aides or non-military representatives. The two officials on Pellaeon's right and across from the jedi, both older human males, bore the insignia of Moffs. The stormtroopers took their position on the wall behind the Imperial officials.
As the officials entered, both Akea and Allanar focused their senses on each individual, one at a time. The two Moffs, along with Pellaeon, were entirely non-force-sensitive. The male civilian aide also appeared to have no unusual effect on the force. However, the female civilian aide had an aura about her, though Akea and Allanar had differing analysis. With enough concentration, Akea was able to separate her force signature from the blanket of darkness that had enveloped their senses earlier. He felt that this woman was a neutral force user and was definitely not the source of the darkness aboard the Amity. This meant that whoever was producing this Sith aura was definitely not in this room. Allanar was much less sure about this. He was unable to pick apart her force signature from the background of darkness. He was sure she was a force user, but could not make a determination as to how powerful. He was entirely unsure whether or not she was the source of the Sith signature.
Shira broke the silence. "Grand Admiral Pellaeon, welcome aboard. Allow me to introduce the members of this delegation." She proceeded to introduce Demev and Wilhelm. She then turned to her right to the two jedi. "This is Jedi Master Akea Oahu and Jedi Knight Allanar Onsai, our representatives from the New Jedi Order. They share our goals of keeping the peace between our governments."
There was a brief moment of silence if the Jedi had anything to say, or do.
Pellaeon turned his head and looked at each jedi for a few moments. His facial expression remained stern, his face showed no change of emotion and offered no hint as to what the man was thinking. He looked back at the Minister of State. He spoke, his tone indicating he was uninterested in pleasantries or even introducing his entourage. "Minister, let us get started."
(OOC: If you can throw up something quick by Sunday, my goal is to get one more post up before I leave on Monday. Something short and sweet is fine, I'm curious how the jedi react to the conflicting information and if there is any change in plan before dialog begins.)
Kirkland 18:21, 15 May 2009 (EDT)
Fortify Mind: 2, 3, 5 , 9, 10 (Control + Telepathy, 1 willpower) = 3 successes; Danger Sense: 5, 7, 10 (Sense + Divination) = 3 successes. (To be decided later.)
Allanar focused his study on the delegates that accompanied Pellaeon to the force at first, after his initial impression of them all a more detailed visual inspection took place, though nothing out of place. He let nothing of his displeasure show at being unable to tell if the woman was the suspected Sith or simply a force user, either way it was enough to keep him prepared though he was careful to keep his emotions in control.
“Master, I cannot separate the Sith user’s signature, the woman though certainly has knowledge of the force.”
Special care was taken to be sure that another force user would be unable to tell and unable to intercept the telepathic message sent to Akea, kept brief to keep suspicion from rising. He wasn’t sure if Akea would have more luck than he did, he was likely the more skilled in this regard and he hoped his elder would be able to cast some light on the present situation, but the Sith’s ability to mask their presence was a well documented one.
Allanar bowed but remained silent as Shira Tel introduced him and Akea to the Imperial delegates, a moment spent to study each though he doubted his past would link any of them to him. He chose to remain a silent observer for now, as that was largely their function if all this went well. He remained focused on making sure that the girl, or any other Sith presence, didn’t affect the negotiations. Assuming Akea remained standing, which was a safe bet as chairs didn’t suit him well, Allanar would do the same for the sake of consistency between them and remaining separate from both the NR and Imperial delegates.
--FyreFly 23:20, 15 May 2009 (EDT)
(OOC: If each of you wish, each of you may spend one point of willpower to activate Fortify Mind. Roll your Control + Telepathy and post the result. Also I posted mechanics for Sense Danger [a clone of Prior Warning] if you want to activate that as well, roll Sense + Divination and explain how you are dividing the number of successes into range/duration.)
Kirkland 01:04, 6 June 2009 (EDT)
(Fortify mind: 3 successes - what does this suggest about my MDV?)
(Sense Danger: 5 successes - Effects attuned to ship's passengers)
The Dur Sabon Jedi Master thought carefully about his next words. He surveyed the Imperial envoy, noticing, in particular, that the woman present with them was Force-sensitive. He was thankful he'd taken the time to fortify his mind, though he wasn't surprised the Imperials had brought a Force user of their own - after all, formalities aside, the New Republic had essentially done the same thing.
Akea was certain, however, that this woman was not the dark side presence aboard the ship. This was cause for concern, certainly - it most likely implied that the Sith was elsewhere aboard the Amity. Akea wrestled briefly with how he intended to handle the situation, considering that showing an initial distrust of the Imperials might set a poor tone for the negotiations. Still, the taste of distrust was preferable to that of blood - no chances could be taken if a darksider was present. On top of that, Akea reasoned that the Imperials had been less than trustworthy in the past, and any offense they took to a brief surveillance of the ship could be readily justified. In keeping with this line of reasoning, Akea decided it'd best if the New Republic showed they had nothing to hide - it would be best to be up front with the Imperials about what they intended to do. Oahu also reasoned that the Imperials' reaction might shed light on their intention. With that, Akea spoke up, again in his characteristic deep, Coruscanti-accented Basic. Perceiving Pallaeon's desire to keep affairs strictly business, Akea spared any formal introductions.
"Grand Admiral Pallaeon, we are honored to be guests aboard the Amity and hope sincerely for these negotiations to promote a sincere, enduring peace between both participating governments. Having been a commander and head of state in this era, I am certain you can appreciate the need for utmost security. I do not intend to alarm either party, I only hope to make it clear that my top priority is ensuring a safe, successful negotiation. With so many high-profile figures gathered together, the Amity presents a rich opportunity for those who would harm our attempts to maintain peace in the galaxy. Keeping this in mind, I would like to ask Allanar to survey the ship quickly, in the vein of ensuring that the area is secure."
With that, Akea gestured to Allanar with a spindly arm, nodding slightly.
"I apologize for delaying the proceedings, but did not want to interrupt once discussions had begun. Do not let Allanar's absence delay business any further - I will see to it that he is brought up to speed upon his return to the chamber."
Akea remembered the Clone Wars, and how much things had changed since then. It seemed like a different lifetime. He recalled the Sith - a different brand of evil, the sort of evil that could rarely be reasoned with or redeemed. He remembered battling on Ossus - he could still recall the warmth of a red lightsaber inches from his face, held back only by the green glow of his own. Akea did not relish the feeling. He had seen Allanar in combat - though he felt the Jedi Knight's fighting style was too violent, he had no doubt the man's tendency towards brutal, efficient fighting and training under the Imperial regime would suit him well should he encounter a Sith, and he was glad for it.
He was, however, beginning to regret leaving his saber aboard the Leviathan.
Dan 14:27, 12 June 2009 (EDT)
Renora Cordalis relaxed at her communications station after the Imperial shuttle had been docked. Her light blue arms rested comfortably on her chair and her jet black hair rest over the top of the chair and fell about 6 inches below her shoulder. Her skin and hair color was characteristic of her near-human species, Etti. Her break didn't last long as the communications console in front of her chirped, and several status LEDs flipped from green to red. "Captain," she called out as her hands glided over the controls, flipping several switches in an effort to restore the system to normal. "There's a problem with our external communications system, it just went offline hard."
"Do we still have the backup array?" the Captain asked as he turned around and began to walk toward her. She nervously responded, "Yes......." her voice drifted off until she corrected herself. "No."
As if the terminal were somehow listening to the Captain, just as he enquired about the backup system status that too began to go offline. Another row of green LEDs cascaded to red one at a time. She began flipping the startup switches more furiously, but it didn't help.
He gave her an order, "Have the engineering team review this immediately." He paused in thought. It was quite coincidental, he mused, that the primary and backup communications systems go dead a mere 10 minutes after the Imperial talks begin. "Standby on the distress signal. Any sign of trouble and we broadcast that immediately. Understood?"
"Yes sir," Renora responded. There was a separate system for the emergency distress signal, which was not designed for voice communication but a simple, pre-programmed generic distress call. She opened an internal channel with engineering and sent them to investigate.
"Interesting," Grand Admiral Pellaeon said, his gaze becoming fixed on the Jedi Master. There was a moment of silence as Pellaeon attempted to read the expressionless Jedi. "You and Allanar had no intention of leaving this meeting until its conclusion. Something's changed. I must admit that I am concerned." His gaze turned to Allanar and with a nod he dismissed the Jedi to perform his search.
After the Jedi Knight left the room, he turned back to Akea. "Are we in danger, Master Oahu?" He asked, his voice characteristically cold and calm.
Akea's danger sense flared, as if cued by Pellaeon's words. The gentlebeings in the bridge of the NRS Amity were, indeed, in grave danger.
Kirkland 17:48, 12 June 2009 (EDT)
Chapter 1 Concluded. Experience Awarded: 2.
Your next responses will begin Chapter 2: Amity in Peril.