Chapter 5: Empire of the Hand
|
Star Wars: |
|---|
|
Stories |
|
Characters |
|
Suggested Music: Star Wars Episode I Soundtrack - The Trip to the Naboo Temple and the Audience with Boss Nass
7 Elona, 25 ABY - Yavin IV, Gordian Reach, Outer Rim
The familiar planetscape of Yavin IV filled the cockpit viewport. Akea proceeded to guide the Leviathan to the ancient temples that housed the Jedi Praxeum. Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker would likely be awaiting their arrival.
As the site approached, the ancient temples were visible just over the treeline. There was no sign of a landing platform; and as Renora looked out the viewport, she wondered where exactly they were going to land. At a small opening in the trees, Akea guided the Leviathan down toward a tranquil pond. "Fasten your seatbelt," he cautioned. His fins flipped several switches on the dash, cutting power to the repulsorlift engines. Gravity took hold and the Leviathan plunged into the water at a 45-degree angle. The splash was quite audible from within the cockpit but the impact was less than Renora expected. After all, the Leviathan was designed to do this sort of thing.
The front lights kicked on and the aquatic engines propelled the ship deeper. A small tunnel was visible ahead, not much wider than the ship itself. Akea guided the ship carefully through the tunnel for a few hundred meters. The tunnel gradually ascended into an opening that was sized specifically for the Leviathan. Akea brought the ship to the surface and killed the engines. The ship rocked slightly as it floated in place.
They were in a small cavern inside one of the temples; it was a dimly lit room, lit only by a 4 torches, one on each wall. Akea had this entrance constructed specifically for the Leviathan, though the original intention was an emergency exit. After the Shadow Academy's attack a few years ago, more secret tunnels and escape routes were installed, including this little garage for the Leviathan.
The whistles of an R2 unit echoed through the room, as the famous R2-D2 unit spun his head around excitedly. An older human male, one of the older Jedi trainees and one of the most recent to become a Jedi Knight, stood by the droid, waiting for the group to disembark.
Kirkland 16:33, 11 January 2010 (EST)
The top hatch of the Leviathan opened, and Allanar Onsai climbed out first. He then assisted the two Chiss out of the hatch. Vayra's arms were cuffed behind her back, and she looked less than thrilled to be there. As the three stood atop the floating ship, a young human teenager ran into the room and toward the trio and offered them a hand and a welcoming smile as they stepped across the water and onto the stone floor. "Master Onsai, I am Brance Maddox," the kid introduced himself and bowed formally.
Must be Greer's new apprentice... Allanar gathered. The teen's personality seemed to be the polar opposite of his master's. Greer Lachlan remained standing at the entrance, as stern as ever. While the two hadn't interacted much, they certainly knew each other. Greer had never been fond of Allanar, or any Jedi that had dabbled in the dark side, for that matter. And he didn't look thrilled to see Allanar and a Sith standing before him in the Jedi temple.
Akea Oahu emerged from the water just in time to listen as Greer spoke.
His tone was unwelcoming, but that was just his personality, "It's good to see you again. Master Skywalker wishes to meet with you immediately. My apprentice, Brance, and I can take the prisoners to their... quarters." Greer struggled to find the correct word, as the Jedi Praxeum had no prison cells to speak of, it was simply a make-shift room they had prepared when they heard that Akea and Allanar would be bringing along extra company.
Kirkland 14:46, 13 January 2010 (EST)
Akea and Allanar parted ways with Greer, Brance, and the two Chiss. Akea and Allanar both assured Renora they would be back to talk with her after their conversation with Luke. The pair of Jedi followed R2-D2 through the familiar Jedi temple to the top level, where they were told Luke was waiting for them.
((Wookieepedia: Great Temple has some good descriptions and layout diagrams of the building.))
R2 led them to one of the more grandiose hallways in the temple, where Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker met them at the top of the stairs. Luke, dressed in traditional jedi robes, flashed a quick smile. "Allanar, Akea, it's good to see you." His expression turned more serious as he continued, "I heard about the events surrounding the Bastion treaty talks. Your response to the incident was extraordinary given the circumstances." The four began to walk down the hallway, toward a training room at the end of the hall.
Luke continued, "Unfortunately, as you may very well suspect, this is not an isolated incident. This is a discussion we should have had a long time ago, and it is my fault that it has not taken place. Come, let me show you." There was a short silence as the group entered the empty training hall, a silence broken only by R2-D2's wheels as he rolled toward a control panel on the side of the wall. He plugged in his SCOMP link.
"Do you remember the Caamas Document Crisis?" Luke asked, a clearly rhetorical question as the Jedi obviously remembered this piece of recent galactic history. It was the event that eventually lead to the signing of the Pellaeon-Gavrisom Treaty and the end of the Galactic Civil War between the Remnant and the Republic.
"When Mara and I were on Nirauan retrieving the Caamas Document, R2 stumbled upon something else." The holoprojector in the middle of the room flickered to life, displaying at first the hundreds of thousands of star systems that made up the galaxy. It quickly zoomed into a section of the galaxy known as the Unknown Regions, an area, for the most part, not yet explored or documented. Even with all the advancements the New Republic has made over the years, there were many challenges to charting this area of the galaxy; neither Akea nor Allanar knew of any detailed astrogation charts for it.
Rather surprisingly, the display lit up with a plethora of data on star systems. It wasn't up to the standards of a typical astrogation chart of the known galaxy, but it was clear that someone had a very good understanding of what was in these Unknown Regions.
"While we were there, we discovered a group that called themselves the Empire of the Hand. It was a division of the Empire that Grand Admiral Thrawn had completely isolated from the Galactic Empire at the time. Thrawn had a clone of himself stored in a large military complex on Nirauan. Mara and I destroyed the clone, and the facility; perhaps a bit foolishly, thought that was the end."
Mara Jade chimed into the conversation, "When we heard that Chiss were involved in the terrorist attack two days ago, it set off some alarm bells. There are still many questions, but Luke and I feel that the 'Empire of the Hand' might not be entirely dead after all. We're still waiting to see how the Imperial Remnant reacts to all of this; their actions may shed some light on their position in this whole debacle. Right now we don't have enough information to determine if they're victims or the orchestrators. So far they've isolated themselves from any further diplomatic discussions, citing the apparent kidnapping of their leaders. But there has been no indication thus far of the two organizations working together after Thrawn's death. It's thought that any link the Galactic Empire had with the Empire of the Hand was severed when Thrawn was killed."
With more answers came more questions, but all of this information was instrumental for the Jedi if they were going to plan a strategy for investigating this crisis further; and they certainly have plenty of leads.
Kirkland 18:00, 15 January 2010 (EST)
Allanar regarded the young apprentice with a hesitant glance, but allowed him to help with getting the Chiss onto solid ground. Once he had he greeted him kindle, returning the slight bow in greeting.
"A pleasure to meet you Brance. Always refreshing to be welcomed home by familiar faces." Allanar glanced slightly towards Greer when he said it, though he did not necessarily mention anything about the less than warm greeting from Greer. He expected no different given Greers history with dark Jedi, and he mostly didn't blame Greer for his stance.
Allanar was somewhat reluctant to let the prisoners out of sight, but regardless of how Greer felt and despite Brance's inexperience he trusted that they would be well looked after. He was grateful they were led directly to speak with Master Skywalker and Mara Jade, no doubt there was some amount of explaining for them to do as well some answers for them to receive.
"It is good to be back Master Skywalker, our actions were nothing beyond what is expected."
Allanar followed along silently, listening closely as Luke started to explain the events and possible cause of some of the events. While he had never heard of the particular faction of the Empire, it did not surprise him that a small group had found a place to operate in the unknown regions of the galaxy. He had been apart of The Empire long enough to know how easily it could break apart and operate in small groups, it reminded him of terrorist sleeper cells that he had once spent time training to sniff out and eliminate. He had once even been apart of such a small and organized group, when the Imperial Guard regrouped for the re-risen Emperor Palpatine.
"I don't have much personal knowledge of The Empire of the Hand, but what I know of such organizations with the former Empire and what I know of how Thrawn liked to operate I wouldn't doubt that the faction survived and continues to operate. Though along the same lines, without a leader like Thrawn at the helm I doubt Pellaeon would agree to work with them in a way so easily linked back to The Remnant."
Allanar paused for a long moment, along the conversation to continue though he seemed to still be thinking on something in particular. There was much to think over extenisvley, so this was no surprise. He waited until an ideal time in the conversation to chime in with a short comment that obviously occupied some of this thoughts.
"It seems almost impossible, but I've been haunted by clones before... While I fought with the intruder on the bridge of The Amity, I was distinctly reminded of an old friend. I am not entirely sure of the connection, but I am almost certain that she has some link to Brakiss..."
This comment held particular weight with the other three gathered in the room, as they were all well aware of Allanar's training in Echani martial arts which allowed him to read deeply into a person's personality during combat.
--FyreFly 21:34, 21 January 2010 (EST)
((Brian, did Akea hear anything on the comm. frequency recording he made on the way to Yavin?))
Akea exchanged his familiar greeting with Greer and gladly met Brance's acquaintance. He listened quietly to Luke and Mara's explanation, and pondered quietly for a moment thereafter before issuing his response.
"Allanar, if indeed Vayra is connected to Brakiss, it would put the issue of her allegiance in an interesting light. It is clear that she is Sith - she spoke of a master, and in all likelihood, this is not Brakiss. Brakiss, though a formidable Dark Jedi, was not a practicing Sith. It is possible that she was indoctrinated to the ways of the darkside at the Shadow Academy, and later discovered deeper, darker, secrets. We cannot yet say. The Sith are dangerous opponents, and it is unlikely that they would display a show of power so bold unless they had the resources to deal with the consequences - if the Empire of the Hand thrives and the Sith have entered the picture, I am certain they are connected. Thrawn's legacy suggests that he would not create an organization that would willingly bend to a Sith's manipulation, but one must consider that few who do bend to the will of a Sith ever meant to do so."
Akea looked around briefly before moving on to another subject, another former enemy of the Republic.
"Thrawn was a cunning commander, and he was free of the hubris that so often plagued the Sith lords who more commonly plagued our galaxy in days past. He would have had no explicit desire to be in control, and that made him that much more dangerous - certainly, any operation he set up would be capable of running independently of his direct supervision, much unlike Palpatine's corrupted bureaucracy, designed to be increasingly inefficient, that the Emperor was able seize greater and greater power."
Akea began circling the holographic projection as he spoke, making a slightly unsettling clicking noise as he circumnavigated the chamber, thinking. Dur Sabon who spent a great deal of time on land often developed a hard callous on their upper vocal cords, which produced the noise in question when vibrated against softly, such as when vocalizing the thinking process (as when a Human says 'Hmm...').
"In that regard, I believe it is entirely possible that the Empire of the Hand functions yet. With whose cooperation, I am not sure of. Allanar is correct in suggesting that Pallaeon would rightly be hesitant to cooperate with them - He endangers the whole Remnant, and indeed the galaxy, by creating such a connection, and it seems he would hardly be willing to take the risk without a leader like Thrawn at the helm to guarantee forward progress. That said, I cannot yet discount the possibility that this kidnapping was staged - it gives Pallaeon a convenient excuse to duck away to the Unknown Regions and continue plotting. Clearly, before we take any decisive action on the matter, we need more information - But! As with all things, there is a balance. We also cannot hesitate to act, for peace is at stake."
Akea stopped his pacing, turning to face the three Jedi.
"There a number of issues, which the Jedi Order is uniquely equipped to deal with, whose address will yield valuable information. Firstly, we must decide what is to become of Vayra, the Chiss Sith we have captured. She demands her own release in exchange for information, and claims to serve a master of whose identity we are not aware. Secondly, it may be possible yet to find Pallaeon and his governors in Force - their location may reveal information about their activities. It is especially worth noting that he had a Force-sensitive woman among his crew; if the kidnapping was legitimate, she may be attempting to issue a distress call in the Force - of course there is no guarantee of this. Finally, we must establish a rapport with the New Republic government on this matter - both of our investigations will be more fruitful if they are at least somewhat coordinated. For now, Master Skywalker, this is my take on the issue. There are discussions to be had."
Akea bowed his head gently in respect, returning the floor to whoever wished to speak.
Dan 00:58, 25 January 2010 (EST)
((Nothing from the comm frequency recording, I meant to mention this in the last post.))
Luke walked toward the large window in the room as Akea and Allanar spoke. He turned to respond. "One step ahead of you," Luke smiled. "I've been in contact with NR High Command. The Starfighter Corps is beginning an aggressive reconnaissance program in the Unknown Regions. There's a lot of ground to cover, but this data," he gestured to the projection, "should give them a head start. We'll be getting periodic reports of their progress."
"As for Vayra, it's too early to be making any decisions. She cannot be trusted; and even if the information she has is valuable, there's no way to guarantee its authenticity." Luke said, turning to Allanar, "and her undoubted connection to Brakiss is concerning. Brakiss trained many, and I am sure that not all of them fought and died with him right here on Yavin IV. How she came into contact with Sith, and who her Sith master is, are questions that will be bugging me for some time."
Mara chimed in from the center of the floor. "The New Republic mentioned that you had an officer of theirs with you as well, another Chiss," she paused for a short moment. "Surely that's not just a coincidence?"
Akea and Allanar briefly explained Renora came to be in their custody. ((I'll let you further describe your level of trust in her)).
After hearing all this, Luke warned, "Be careful. Despite her cooperative intentions, we don't know the extent of the Sith's influence over her or the CEDF's. Which brings up a third party, the Chiss." R2 was paying attention; the projection zoomed into an area of the Unknown Regions around Csilla and other Chiss colony worlds. "What's their role in this? Perhaps Renora could shed more light; any information on the CEDF's involvement would help. Terrorism without provocation is not their style, to be sure."
Mara spoke again, "Though our resources are limited, we must not wait for the next piece of bad news to act." She turned back to the projection, which R2 kindly zoomed out for her. "We have a few options. The NR Starfighter Corps reconnaissance efforts could be aided by the Jedi Order, speeding up the effort to locate the Empire of the Hand. Second, we could investigate Pellaeon's kidnapping. Determining whether or not it was a hoax would be valuable. Thirdly, though the Republic hasn't formally requested it, it'd be wise to send a pair of Jedi to accompany the New Republic in opening a dialogue with Csilla. Relations between the Chiss and NR have been sporadic, and there is no permanent diplomatic presence on either side. Given the delicate situation, and the fact that the Chiss could potentially be implicated in this, warrants our assistance."
Luke walked back down the short steps as the group convened at the center of the room. The projection of the galaxy vanished and R2 chirped. Luke spoke, "We have Greer and Brance available for assignment. Other Jedi may be available soon, and either Mara or myself will stay here at the Praxeum and coordinate efforts. Master Oahu, Allanar Onsai, any suggestions on how to pursue this effectively?" Luke had a feeling that Akea and Allanar's direct involvement would lead to better intuition on how to move forward.
Kirkland 01:22, 28 January 2010 (EST)
After retelling the story of Renora's capture, Akea paused for a moment, deep in thought. He shook his head slightly as he began to speak.
"What Renora told us was true, but that doesn't mean she's told us everything she knows - in fact, I suspect she has not. She was assigned by the CEDF to infiltrate the New Republic military. I am well aware of galactic realities - governments, even at peace, will surely carry out non-official espionage against one another; I would be unsurprised to discover the New Republic had its own spies, living or electronic, within the Chiss Ascendancy. Therefore, this news, in and of itself, is not surprising. That the CEDF would have ordered her to take part in this ambush is considerably more surprising. My current working theory - this is purely speculative, I must confess, but we must have a starting point for our approach - is that either the Chiss, the Empire of the Hand, and-or the Sith have become mutually intertwined. Vayra's involvement in this plot sparked my suspicions."
Akea absently traced a circle around one the dials on his comlink with a bony digit, looking up after a moment and putting forth his suggestion, proving that even he, occasionally, sported a sense of humor.
"I shudder to think of the impression Master Lachlan would give to already-suspicious Chiss diplomats. He's likely in better shape than I am to carry out reconnaissance anyway. That in mind, I would like to volunteer Allanar and myself as accompanying diplomats to Csilla. In addition to this being a crucial dialogue, Allanar and I will be able to conduct our own investigation into any traces of the Sith or Empire of the Hand that might be working their way into the Chiss political sphere, not to mention searching the area for what may have become of the Imperial leadership - I feel Csilla houses information crucial to verifying my theories regarding this ambush."
Akea seemed to get caught on his own words before continuing his sentence, breaking his string of speech with a harsh, wet cough. His gills shuddered for a moment before he continued, with a slight shake of his head. He'd made extensive use of his Force abilities during the ambush, and had neglected his subconscious effort to keep his illness at bay. Before he spoke, he seemed to swallow something, though he paid the issue no mind. Instead, he responded with vague optimism, managing what the humanoids in the room would assume to be the Sabonese equivalent of a smile.
"Besides, Allanar and I owe the Order and the Republic a successful negotiation."
Dan 16:55, 30 January 2010 (EST)
Luke flashed a quick smile before responding, "I think it would be wise to go there a few days before the NR delegation and confirm it is safe for them. I don't know if you plan to take Renora with you, but if you do, I would urge caution. She could be very useful to your investigation in such a homogeneous society, but her allegiance to the CEDF could be compromising to your efforts. How much do you trust her, is the question."
Kirkland 02:00, 7 February 2010 (EST)
Allanar waited until Akea had given his full explanation of his thoughts, pausing long enough to give a concerned look through Akea's brief attack of his degenerative disease. He didn't often break his frequently stoic appearance, but no doubt there was a brief look of concern, he also knew that Akea wouldn't want to see it.
"I agree with Master Oahu, I think we would be best suited to furthering our investigation as well as the negotiations on Csilla."
Allanar gave a long pause as Luke's suggestion that Renora could be helpful to their investigation, no doubt she had more information not only on the situation with the CEDF but also on the planet which they would be holding their investigation. However he was not sure he trusted her enough to allow her to join them, would it restrict their access if they wanted to move under the public radar? Even more disastrous, would she betray them outright and attempt to sabotage their negotiations in some way?
"While I admit that I certainly don't entirely trust Renora, especially on matters where she may be conflicted, I do think her helpfulness will make up for the potential risk. I don't believe she has any desire to see relations become worse between The CEDF and the New Republic. It's my opinion that we should bring her, if you're comfortable with that Master Oahu?"
--FyreFly 23:29, 8 February 2010 (EST)
Akea seemed to ignore Allanar's question for a moment, swallowing again, but less visibly than before. He seemed to have regained his composure fully when he extended upward somewhat and replied to Allanar's question.
"We should bring her, but we must be aware of the risks and responsibilities that entails. She is officially in our custody at this point, which means we're responsible for protecting her - her handlers may wish to avoid the risk of her leaking information and try to kill or recapture her. It's also possible that she might lead us straight into a trap - history has taught us to be prepared for such things, however."
Akea shrugged slightly as he continued.
"I don't fully trust her either. Even if she means well, there's no telling what means of coercion the people who ordered her to infiltrate the New Republic navy may be able to exert. She might be forced into betraying us, despite her best intentions. Thus, we do endanger ourselves by taking her. That said, the risks are worth the rewards - a Chiss guide will go a long way in that society, and if her determination to unravel the tapestry of intrigue surrounding this attack is genuine, she'll know where to look better than we will. There's another boon, too, although it may not seem like one..."
Akea eyed his larger wrist bracer momentarily - though it wasn't readily visible, it was the one that housed his lightsaber when he carried it, which he presently did.
"Renora's return to Csilla may prompt the figure behind the attack to take brash action in the hopes of gaining Renora back or preventing her defection. I do wrestle with the notion of using her, to put it crudely, as bait, but I intend to be upfront with her about the nature of our mission. If she truly wishes to aid our investigation, she'll be well aware that this is at her own risk, as well as ours. We won't force her to go, although I also intend to remind her that more evidence of her distance from the attack's true planners will favor her acquittal..."
He returned his gaze to Luke and Mara.
"Do we have a plan, then, if only loosely?"
Dan 01:10, 15 February 2010 (EST)
Luke nodded. "I would like to talk to Renora before you depart. I'll bring her to your ship in an hour." Luke said. Allanar and Akea nodded in agreement, and the meeting adjourned.
Akea and Allanar headed back to the Leviathan to prepare the ship for departure. The docking bay was quiet. Water was still draining from a valve on the rear of the ship, and there was the light hum from a GNK power droid plugged into the ship.
Akea and Allanar got to work prepping the ship. The Jedi temple had adequate fuel and facilities, but lacked the technicians and crew that most other spaceports and Republic facilities typically had. This was partly due to the low amount of traffic the temple saw, and partly Luke's preference that Jedi in training learn the ins and outs of their spacecraft. There were a few droids on hand to assist. R2 arrived at one point to copy the astrogation charts he showed off earlier to the Leviathan's main computer.
Akea's comlink lit up with an incoming call from the Ministry of State's office. Finding a quiet place and accepting, a holographic image of Minister Tal appeared.
After exchanging quick pleasantries, she gave Akea an update on the situation. She wasted no time diving into the details. "Luke has provided a massive amount of star chart data that our analysts are currently going over. The Starfighter Corps is launching one of its largest reconnaissance efforts ever to verify this data and look for clues in this region. Meanwhile, we've been trying to get in contact with the government on Csilla but so far they have been unresponsive. I should note that this is not an uncommon occurrence; they are a fickle party to deal with and difficult to contact with or without a crisis." Akea was also aware that the holonet technology did not extend into this region, so there were significant communication delays for messages sent to and from Csilla.
"We are deploying a sizable fleet into deep space in those unknown regions; it is just a precaution in case we need to use force out there quickly. We would like to send a diplomatic envoy to Csilla, though given the current uncertainty we have deemed it not safe to do so..."
Her trailing voice gave Akea a moment to interject, preempting the request he knew she was about to make.
Meanwhile, outside the ship, Allanar was finishing the fueling and was releasing the tube from the ship when Luke and Renora entered the room. Both seemed upbeat, and Renora had a small bag at her side, like she had packed from a trip. Luke stopped, while Renora continued walking toward the ship. Luke looked to Allanar. "Be sure to let us know what the situation as like on Csilla as soon as you can. Likewise, we will inform you of any updates we get on the situation."
Kirkland 16:33, 1 March 2010 (EST)
Akea shook his head slightly with a polite smile, leveling his gaze with the holographic representation of Minister Tal.
"Say no more, Minister. I was planning on visiting the area anyway in the hope of chancing upon useful information. Allanar Onsai and myself will visit Csilla as a neutral diplomatic party, coming in the name of ensuring war does not break out - much like our role in the fouled Bastion Accords negotiations, although this time," Akea couldn't help but smile a bit at the irony of the situation, "we are prepared for treachery."
Akea gave a brief glance to one of the Leviathan's consoles behind him before returning his gaze to Shira.
"I will make the outcome of my attempts at diplomacy known to the Republic leadership as soon as I am able -- if they are not readily apparent to begin with. I would appreciate it if you would do your best to keep Allanar or myself abreast of the anything uncovered by the reconnaissance efforts. Additionally, if you could, it may be prudent to inform the nearby fleet of our presence in Csilla - just in case. May the Force be with you, Minister."
Minister Tal nodded, silently agreeing to the Jedi's plan, and replied, "And also with you, Master Oahu."
Akea turned to face Allanar, Luke, and Renora. He was glad to see Renora's mood had lifted, though he could not stay a short-lived wave of curiosity as to what Luke might have said to her. He decided not to press the issue - the Jedi order did not gossip, after all. He embraced her higher spirits for now, nodding to her.
"Renora, your company is deeply appreciated - the presence of a native will greatly alleviate many of the obstacles such a mission would normally incur. I'm sure you know of this, but I must caution you - the powers behind this attack fear the possibility of you unraveling their plans, and will doubtless do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening. If they have a presence on Csilla, this mission may be a dangerous one for you. If you would feel safer on Yavin --"
Renora shook her head with a fleeting smile and subtle swatting gesture, cutting off the Jedi.
"No. I have to do this. Just like you."
Akea bowed his head slightly with a smile, as though to apologize for even suggesting she'd stay behind.
"Of course. It is my hope that we are able to resolve this issue quickly and bloodlessly. You seem ready to depart. Allanar?"
Allanar stood, clipping a welding tool to his belt as an astromech droid whirred away from the Leviathan, to which Allanar had turned his back.
"We're as ready as we can be. That trip to Csilla isn't a short one - we should get moving before the situation gets any hotter."
The trio nodded in agreement. Akea turned to Luke as they began to board the Leviathan.
"Expect an update on our situation when we have safely arrived at Csilla. May the Force be with you, Master Skywalker."
Luke nodded as he bade the group farewell, "It is with all of us, always."
Allanar, somewhat a better pilot than Akea, handled the navigation out of Yavin IV. In the meantime, Akea had moved to his quarters, having noted to Renora and Allanar somewhat abruptly that he'd return to converse with them once they had broken Yavin's orbital region.
The blast doors to Akea's quarters hissed shut behind him, and the Jedi Master nearly fell over, stumbling forward, moving towards his washroom - it was mainly used by guests; the functionality of a Dur Sabon's digestive pathways did not require conventional humanoid facilities, nor did he bathe in the land-creature sense. Still, it had its uses. Not caring to pollute his living pool, he struggled to the green marble sink, bracing himself against it with both hands, moments before a harsh coughing spree began. For those moments, the world faded away - contemplation was a silly ideal, harmony a madman's pipe dream; Akea hacked uncontrollably over the sink, trying his best not to avert his gaze from the black ichor quickly spattering its surface, ejected from his lungs. Though it felt like an eternity, the spell departed almost as quickly as it came, though Akea leaned heavily on the sink's edge, gasping for air, for sometime thereafter. Although panic lapped at the edges of his consciousness, nearly a century of the Jedi tradition had steeled his nerves - he calmed himself. This was natural, this was expected - this was a facet of himself that he had accepted. This was a test - because his journey had to be shorter, it also had to be harder - this was only one of many obstacles he, and all Jedi, must face. Still, he couldn't avoid a persistent feeling of shame; he'd let the excitement of the moment distract him aboard the Amity. A Jedi's focus should always be on the Force - from there, all decisions and outcomes flow. He shook his head slightly. At that moment, he was glad he did not subscribe to the customary tradition of placing a mirror above the sink.
Finally, having regained his bearings, he slithered slowly to his healing pool - a smaller pool adjacent to the one that enclosed most of his living quarters, an aqueous solution with a high bacta concentration. He slinked into its depths, settling into a coil at the bottom after swimming its small circumference a few times. It felt good to be immersed again, even in the slightly sticky, sweet smelling bacta. He took a deep breath before letting his mind clear completely, settling into a deep meditative trance.
Akea had been gone roughly half an hour when the ship was finally in gravitationally clear space and ready to begin its jump to Csilla. The doors to the bridge opened, and, like clockwork, Akea Oahu entered. His focus restored and feeling much better, he advanced to a position just behind Allanar and Renora, who were seated in the pilot's and co-pilot's seat, respectively. Though Renora was oblivious to the situation, Allanar knew something of the Jedi Master's ailment, and gave him another concerned look. The look was fleeting, however; Akea's poise made it clear he'd put the relapse behind him. The Dur Sabon spoke, booming voice and Corsuscanti accent crisp as ever.
"We have several options for our entrance to Csilla. The way I see it, it's possible that we may be able to jump very near to their atmosphere, and slip into the world undetected. Contrarily, we might also try to emerge from hyperspace at some distance from Csilla with the intention of making a semi-official approach at sublight speeds. Given your military experience, Allanar, and your status as a native, Renora, I thought it prudent to seek your consul on the matter."
Dan 02:02, 3 March 2010 (EST)
Allanar finished up the preparations for the ship, deciding to leave his own X-Wing at Yavin for the mission considering the possibility they might need to enter undetected. Though his ship was probably better equipped to slip in, it wasn't able to carry more than himself, and two ships seemed unnecessary. Akea joined them as Renora and Luke approached, glad to see that whatever exchange had gone pleasantly and that the journey would start out on the right foot it seemed. He bid his farewells to Master Skywalker with a polite bow, before disembarking on the ship. He couldn't help but wonder passingly what Luke and Renora had discussed, further he wouldn't deny his curiosity on whether Master Skywalker would have more luck than Akea and he did speaking with the Sith captive. If he did, he did not doubt that Master Skywalker would communicate it to them quickly.
Allanar gave Akea a wayward glance as he excused himself for the ascent out of the Yavin atmosphere, though given how quickly everything had happened since the negotiations he could not deny they both probably deserved a few moments to themselves. Allanar took the controls of the ship and skillfully navigated it outside the gravitational field of Yavin; he issued the command to the R2 unit to calculate jump coordinates just as Akea reentered the cockpit.
"Welcome back Master Oahu, we're nearly ready to enter hyperspace." Allanar paused a moment as Akea gave their options, a quick shifting of glance over to Renora and then back to Akea.
"My initial feelings are to enter publicly, I fear we could only further tension if we showed up unannounced; though I'll have to differ first to Renora's experience with the native people of Csilla or your well documented success in negotiation. If we should chose to enter undetected my military training may be of more assistance."
"As much as I hate to admit it, my history of successful negotiations is painfully short." He spoke the last brief phrase of his statement with just a hint of a smirk, though it was true and certainly did not please him to admit it.
--FyreFly 22:56, 3 March 2010 (EST)
There was a brief pause as Renora thought about how best to reach Csilla. "If you make an official entry, you will be limiting your movement. You will likely be treated as any other foreign dignitary, with lavish rooms, extravagant meals, isolated from the society, and monitored around the clock ((what is this, North Korea?)). And then there's the question: what do you do with me? I'm guessing you're not going to tell them I'm accompanying you, that would probably ignite an unnecessary political firestorm for both of us."
She took a short breath and continued, "I have some higher-level military codes that should authorize us to land without much hassle. The codes aren't personalized so it wouldn't tip them off that it was me. No guarantees, though. In general, Csilla doesn't have the greatest security force in the world. With some skilled flying you could taunt the traffic controllers and still enter and hide." She smirked slightly. She had some experience evading Chiss authorities, it seemed.
Kirkland 16:32, 8 March 2010 (EST)
Akea nodded, grunting slightly as an audible gesture of agreement.
"You're right, Renora - showing up with you in tow would probably stir up a great deal of trouble. On the other hand, if we all sneak in, we're not doing the Republic any favors; if the Chiss did not trust the Republic prior to this, they certainly won't trust the Republic if they catch a pair of Jedi snooping around unannounced."
He moved a little closer to the ship's controls, gazing out the window, as though visualizing the physical route to Csilla.
"We need to take a combined approach. We'll make a quiet entrance with those military codes of yours, Renora, and then I'll direct the ship toward a body of water near Csaplar and plunge into it. At this point, you two will exit the ship and swim the rest of the distance to the city. As long we don't have any Force-sensitives working against us - a dubious prospect at best, I know - it should be possible to proceed undetected. The ice water should attenuate most of the heat signature your bodies would produce and render you less visible to thermal scanning."
Akea continued speaking, slowly picking up his gesticulation as he sketched the ship's movement through the air with a bony finger.
"Meanwhile, I'll direct the ship back towards an official entry point and land at Csaplar, where I'll present myself as an official diplomat and representative of the Jedi Order. I understand that an official entry will make the target of constant surveillance. In some sense, this was inevitable - a Dur Sabon Jedi on Csilla is going to draw a lot of attention, official visit or otherwise. I may as well dodge the risks of earning the New Republic a new enemy. With that in mind, I won't be looking for any buried secrets; everyone here is going to be careful of what they say to me. Instead, I intend to seek out others within the Chiss government structure who are also genuinely determined to uncover the truth, and I will operate through official channels. The buried secrets - well, that's where you two come in - I'm guessing you'd prefer to operate in the shadows, Renora. Try to find anything you're certain they'd want to cover up, as that's the information which won't be coming my way. Eventually, we'll rendezvous back at this ship covertly to discuss our findings, and make the next steps of our plan. Keep in mind that I'll be there in a semi-official capacity - if the situation on your end should turn foul, don't hesitate to take the Leviathan as an escape vessel; I can secure other transportation home."
Akea finally folded his hands comfortably across the front of his body trunk.
"That is the approach which comes to mind in an effort to cover all of our bases. I am, naturally, quite open to suggestions. If we are agreed, then we should plan our hyperspace jump to position ourselves such that we can make an entrance with Renora's codes."
Dan 01:37, 11 March 2010 (EST)
Allanar nodded along as Akea explained his plan, having thought much of the same would be the best approach. Frankly, unless trouble broke out Akea could handle negotiations as well without Allanar as he could with him, and given the Chiss were famous for not being open to outsiders a different approach was probably necessary.
"The ice water should attenuate our heat signature? Easy for you to say, we're not amphibious ya know." Allanar spoke with a familiar sarcasm; Allanar often had a morbid, sarcastic sense of humor that Akea didn't always appreciate, but in this instance it received a brief chuckle from both Akea and Renora.
Allanar listened to the remainder of Akea's explanation, figuring that unless the Chiss had outright ill intentions for the republic and the Jedi Order it should go well... Though the thought crossed his mind that there might be those that did have trouble planned for the Republic as a whole within the government, worse yet he still wasn't sure where they would find the Sith Lord that must have been somehow involved with the attack on the Amity as well as the Chiss' government.
"Renora, I'll have to differ to you as a guide on the planet. Do you know of a place where we can stay temporarily that won't be well watched? I'm not sure how free I will be to move about the planet, I suspect I will need to discard my Jedi robes in public, but even then I suspect as a human I'll find most doors locked. We may be somewhat confined to the shadows unless you have any connections on the planet that may be willing to help us out."
Allanar stuck around the cockpit while they finished their discussion, planning out as much as they could with both Akea and Renora before they arrived. After that he retired to one of the guest beds aboard the ship and spent some time in meditation, he required it to prepare for their next negotiation and he made a point of meditation to reflect anytime he was forced to enter combat.
--FyreFly 21:05, 11 March 2010 (EST)
Renora chuckled, giving Akea and Allanar the impression that she wasn't taking the proposed plan seriously. Then she thought for another moment, realizing the brilliance. "Actually, that will work." she said, sounding surprised. "Like all major cities on Csilla, Csaplar is a massive underground city built under the bedrock of a large glacier. There are a few 'authorized' tunnels for spaceport traffic, but countless smaller passages that lead into the city. Some are run by smuggling operations, but many are completely unused. The city generates heat which melts ice from the glacier, creating underground rivers that flow in." She looked to Allanar, who would be the one facing the danger along with her. "It's dangerous, but it's brilliant."
She responded to Allanar with a nod. "The Jedi robes won't score you points. Csilla has a homogeneous population, but humans are by far the largest minority, and certainly the closest species physiologically, for what it's worth. Csaplar is a massive city, once we're inside it should be fairly easy to stay under the radar even if they were looking for us."
She turned to Akea. "In matters of foreign relations, you should be directed to deal with House Chaf, my guess is with Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano if he is available. He is your quintessential Chiss aristocrat: stubborn, arrogant, deeply loyal, and heavily interested in house politics." ((rolls)) Allanar had never heard the name before, but Akea had. He recalled Luke mentioning that Formbi (his basic nickname) was an intelligent, calculating individual much like Thrawn was, but more in a political sense than a military strategy sense. Renora continued, "I actually don't know too much about him personally, but he is one of the most powerful figures in House Chaf and in the Ascendancy itself. He has been heavily involved in a political spat with House Nuruodo. Who, by the way, is largely in control of military functions."
The group spent a little more time discussing the details of their plan. They also took the time to gather the equipment they would need, including a A99 aquata breather.
Allanar's R2 unit handled the rigorous astrogation tasks using the charts provided my Luke and Mara as a guide. The first half of the journey used the Gordian Reach and Hydian Way trade routes and took about 24 hours. It took another 48 hours to reach the edge of the Unknown Regions. At this point, the R2 unit had to make several separate calculations. Since these regions were largely uncharted, it took extra calculation and calibration to make the appropriate jumps. The total length of the journey was 4 and a half days.
Kirkland 03:55, 14 March 2010 (EDT)
Chapter 5 Concluded. Experience Awarded: 4.
Your next responses will begin Chapter 6: Icy Reception.