The flight to Quermia had been quiet, the tension borne of uncertainty more than any external conflict. The Quermian delegates had opted to travel alongside their allies, allowing their vessel to travel in tow, that they may apprise their counterparts of the situation upon the ground better during the journey. Polite and kind guests and upon arrival, even better hosts.
“I apologize, that we would bring you all this distance to intercede on matters outside of your own home,” a rather thin, if you could quantify thinness between one Quermian and another, Quermian named Pith said as they poured tea for their guests, “but we had few places we knew we could turn. Once the manufactories began to activate again the Jedi Temple went under high alert and our local Guardian recommended we reach out to the Vatali for help. I had not even been aware of your existence until recently.” He continued as he poured the final cup.
Gathering the sleeves of his robe in Pith nodded, motioned toward a holotank, and took a seat beside his kin.
“These strangers arrived on our soil a few months ago, at first they seemed helpful, easing the hurt of our communities. They made ties and allies within some of our smaller settlements, and some were even welcomed with arms wide open… Others, however, began taking things by force.” Another, taller, stern-faced Quermian began, motioning to the map of Quermia and wide tracts of red began to float over nearby territories.
“I am Mayor Alu Raiv of Reist, one of our largest cities here on the Southwestern continent, I was recently forced out by these… Insurgents, for lack of any better term.” The proud woman began as she pointed to a spot within the red zone. “They threatened to kill my staff when we refused negotiations with them, and my daughters forced me to leave. Now they come to speak with Governor Pith, for the whole of the continent, and I fear, beyond.”
“You say you were driven out? That is horrible!” Tierra intoned in a mild yet ear-catching voice. She meant it as well, since she knew how that felt, being chased out of your own home with little to leave with.
Her smile widened as she graciously accepted a teacup. Wisps of vapor rose as she lightly blew across the surface. It smelled herbal and soothing. It tasted just so. She placed the cup on the saucer, which she held lithely in her other hand, and straightened her uniform at the waist.
“We know of these…strangers.” She emphasized the word. “They are a shadow of a problem formed decades ago by corrupt systems put into place by greedy men. They are well-organized and dangerous, and not to be taken lightly. I have personally dealt with one too many of their representatives in our own system. They’ve been pushed out of Kiast for just these sorts of actions, so they find refuge in other systems?”
She looked over at her compatriots after she took another sip of her tea. “I for one am curious what they have to say for themselves. The leaps of logic required to justify this cruelty are beyond my understanding.” She sighed, stopping herself from speaking further. The Vauzem rattled her calm far too much for her liking. Hopefully we can show their true colors swiftly and stop an even greater catastrophe.
“I apologize for the delay in our arrival,” the smooth voice came from a younger male Sephi who was entering the room. His pale purplish skin was unblemished and notably cared for, while his long black hair and beard seemed to blend in with his uniform. Six other Sephi followed behind him. Three of them wore similar black uniforms, electro batons fastened securely at their waists with shield bracers on their left arms. The others wore light blue uniforms of a similar style, but they carried data pads instead of weaponry.
“I hope you don’t mind the guards,” the Sephi continued. “One can never be too careful when dealing with those who have masterfully executed a coup. I do of course commend Odan-Urr for their success, it is quite remarkable how ahead you came in your dealings in the Vatali. I would tip a hat to you, but I appear to lack one.”
He turns towards the mayor. “I profoundly apologize for the actions of my men. When I was informed of what they had done I was deeply distraught. My only goal is to help on this planet. I have made sure those involved have been punished. If there is anything else I can do to make up for their error, know that Baron Uvam is willing to listen.”
Tierra calmly sipped on her tea as the delegation entered. Her smile was courtly and cold, well disguised, but cold. The Sephi in question was Tal Thanva, a diplomat for Uvam. If one could call a schutta a diplomat. His position must have gone up in the ranks if he was the one talking today. Still, she knew little beyond that. She could presume, but that would be bad form until they reveal their hand.
“Introductions are in order,” Tierra started as they found their seats, “then we can hear why a minor noble from Kiast is expanding into this particular system. That does not seem to be Baron Uvam’s typical modus of operations, no?”
Where the Vauzem Dominion’s representative had his bodyguards, the Governor had her own in the married couple of Artemis and Ruana Suoh-Werd'la. Both had stood a little straighter the moment the Vauzem delegation had entered the room, flanking Tierra in a triangular position several steps behind where the woman was seated.
Artemis, the half-Sephi, wore a variation of the Chief Inquisitor Armor in a shade of forest green with the hood drawn up and the mask covering the lower part of her face. She had a Nightsister energy bow strapped to her lower back, a Force-Imbued sword visible on her hip, both throwing blades and shuriken on her belt and a different vambrace on either arm, which were currently crossed over her chest as she observed the meeting.
Though she had more surprises up her sleeves in terms of her abilities with the Force as a Techweaver, the vambraces on either arm would be recognizable to those familiar with weapons tech, as the one on her right arm was clearly Mandalorian, made of Beskar.
Her wife, on the other hand, was kitted out from head to toe in a black and dark blue set of Clone ARC Trooper Armor, an AB-75 Bo-Rifle slung over her shoulder, a pair of heavy blaster pistols strapped to either thigh and a sword on her back, with the hilt just visible over her right shoulder. Though not as visible as they were on Artemis, the Pantoran also had several shuriken lining her belt.
Both the Huntress and the Mercenary were clearly ready for any sign of a threat from the Vauzem delegation, though their primary directive was the protection of the Governor.
The Odan-Urr delegation also included Jedi Elyon de Neverse, who was known as a healer. A young girl in a typical brown robe with a dark blue skirt accepted the offered tea with a nod and a smile. She drank carefully as the tea was still quite warm. She quietly listened to the briefing, and she thought about the words spoken.
The arrival of Vauzem Dominion representatives changed the mood of the entire room. All eyes turned to the incoming negotiator and his bodyguards. In particular, the personal bodyguards of the Governor drew attention. Something about the young huntress was familiar, but she didn’t know what. However, her Force sensitivity was obvious to the Jedi.
Elyon thought about it some more, but then shifted her full attention to the negotiator. The young girl saw him for the first time today, but something told her that his words were not as pure and innocent as he claimed. However, she decided to wait and continue to follow his steps towards reconciliation.
Pith turned to the Vauzem delegation as they arrived and began to deliver the same pleasantries they had given the Odanites, fresh tea for each, the guards included, before returning to their own seat An uneasy look crossed the Quermian’s face as they looked away from the guards’ weaponry, bothered by the open hostility. Mayor Raiv had no such sensibilities and spoke out, her firm hand motioned to calm her compatriot.
“This would be Tal Thanva, self-appointed voice for the Baron Uvam, and the ‘Savior of Reist’ as he would title himself. Following my exodus from the city, following his minion’s machinations, a series of inexplicable events took place. Reist was severed from the thermal power network, the water networks were tainted, and crime, virtually unheard of across our world, ran rampant.” She all but spat the words in disdain of the man “That was, until ‘Master Thanva’ arrived and provided succor, restoring power through mobile generators, providing fresh food and water to the people, and arresting any suspected criminals without so much as a trial.”
Tal gives a bemused look to the mayor. “My good friend, I was in aware you wanted to play that card. Very well.”
Thanva motions to his diplomats, who hand out their datapads, giving one to the Odanites, one to the mayor and one to Pith.
“My friend I did not want to open like this,” Tal keeps his attention in the Mayor. “Baron Uvam appointed me to offer aid to the people who sheltered them in this time.”
Tal turns to Pith, offering a polite bow. “While I will not deny several soldiers were out of line I would direct your attention to the investigation efforts into the situation in Reist. We found no signs of sabotage to the power grid but clear signs of failure to perform regular maintenance over the last three years. It’s no wonder they are having power problems. The agitators hired by the mayor attacking the generators and water we offer are not helping things either.”
Finally Tal turns to the Odanite Delegation, “I believe you all have a reputation for assisting the downtrodden. Would you be willing to assist us in making sure the people of Reist have water and power? Feel free to check the documentation of you need to.”
Tierra took several long minutes to examine the data to draw her own conclusions. Her eyes darted from Raiv to Tal and back as if to display displeasure with what she was reading. It also took their minds away from the fact that she was doing a deeper search than Tal wanted. The data was clipped and deprecated, organized into a neat pile that made the Dominion look the dashing heroes they proclaimed they were. The declaration was the only thing legitimate about the documents. He was indeed brown-nosing Uvam into being his lackey.
The lack of maintenance too seemed legitimate but for several interesting nitpicks: six of the arrest warrants were those of engineers failing to perform maintenance on the electrical systems, but they were arrested as agitators. Curiously two of their team of eight were those that signed the Dominions documents confirming the lack of maintenance in the first place, indicating there was coercion behind the scenes.
Two arrest warrants indicated a droid mechanic and a local mailman had tried to sabotage the dominion’s electrical efforts. Likely witnesses in wrongdoings whom the Dominion had to silence. Just like the four public officials silenced and arrested for agitating the public against the “helpful Dominion”. Whom also haven’t been seen since, and there were no trial records for these individuals at all.
Certainly, all of them had been paid by the mayor, but that meant little in terms of accusations when there is no timeline of events or dates of payments. They’d have to dig deeper without escalating the situation, and that bothered Tierra. People were in danger. She had to play it coolly.
“It seems this data is incomplete,” she said calmly, looking at Tal, then Raiv. “If we are to mediate in this matter and come to an agreeable solution, all data must be handed over. That includes trial documentation, witness testimonies, data on payouts for government employes, et cetera. There are simply too many holes in these documents, mister Thanva. And the holes don’t inspire confidence. Do you agree?” She paused for a moment and added. “Perhaps a recess is in order. Refreshments in your wonderful lobby as the data is gathered? We have some time to wait.” She looked over to Raiv and Pith.
The young Jedi also looked at the data presented and came to the same conclusion that there is a lot that does not fit and is missing.
The maintenance data was also insufficient and certainly not informative for the average layman. It was Elyon’s first time on this planet, but she didn’t believe that such important systems as the city’s power supply had monthly maintenance. These systems were supposed to be checked daily or at most at weekly intervals, so that someone would have to find out about any errors sooner.
Both sides tried to smear the other and cover up their own mistakes. The situation started to get complicated and you could feel the tension in the room growing. So the break was a smart move to get the data and ease the tension.
“In addition to the data mentioned above, I would also like to see the revision reports and the basic parameters of those power supplies. So that we can get a full picture.” Added the young Jedi who wanted to remain impartial and therefore wanted to check the data of both sides. Their credibility was already a question that the Odanites delegation had to come up with on its own.
Diplomat Thanva offers a frown that his eyes don’t seem to match. “That is deeply unfortunate. I was informed this had all the information required. I will have to speak with my assistants about making sure all relevant data is included.”
Finally Tal takes a seat. “Refreshments would be delightful. I do hope you will accept my apology for the holes in the data.”
Tal gestures for one if his diplomats. “If you could, please make sure you collect all of the data on these arrests. And please get the Jedi the specs for the power supplies. We are all here in good faith after all.”
The assistant Tal had called over nodded and left the room, leaving Tal with a smile. “I hope we can work towards a proper solution to the situation.”
Tierra typed several commands on one of her datapads and added a message to an encrypted file keyed to the DNA signature of Artemis, one of Odan-urr’s diplomatic delegation’s bodyguards. Follow the diplomat carefully. Discover where he’s going and if possible discover the actual data. Then contact special agent Edir Thokkol on a secure frequency and verify the data’s legitimacy. He can help you with that. Do not be seen, do not be heard. Be quick. Speed is everything. And don’t harm the diplomat. She turned to Artemis with a smile. The girl was ten years her junior, but she already had an air of competence, not least because of who her father was.
“Be a dear and take this to the delegation room and inform the High Councilor the negotiations have stalled due to,” she dared a glance at Tal before turning back to face the girl, “unforeseen circumstances.” She then turned and continued looking at the gathered delegates.
Both sides are probably playing a semi-open game. The Odanites keep their cards hidden to maintain neutrality.
Elyon could now only wait to see what would happen next or join the game too, but in a different way. Here, she had the advantage of her background and strengths. Strengths, which was now her trump card in this game.
The Jedi Knights were able to obtain information that the person would never say out loud, thanks to abilities such as telepathy.Their thoughts were at her fingertips.
The young Jedi concentrated and, with the help of the Force, gently cast the imaginary net, following the threads of information she was catching in it.
First, she focused on the “enemy” delegation. The guards showed no ill intent and were all absorbed in their own thoughts.
The diplomats were a little more interesting, but they didn’t show hostility either; one of them wished for failure and Tal’s job, the other saw this as a waste of time, and the third was looking forward to his vacation.
That didn’t interest the young Jedi at all, and it didn’t provide anything for her to work with yet.
The young Jedi shifted her attention to Tal, who was now the player who should have more information. She was not very pleased with what she found. If she has petty thoughts about the uniform or the length of the socks, then the first scan did not bring anything very interesting. So he was aware that Tierra was a threat to him, and you weren’t sure if his guards would hold up for Elyon. Otherwise, however, he did not indicate any course of action. His task is to win the dispute. And the young Jedi will continue to follow his thoughts.
When she finished her survey of one party, she turned her attention to the other.
Here, the findings were much more interesting. Pith’s personality was now split. He wished that these talks would go well and that peace would prevail. And he tried to get along with Vauzem’s delegation, but he was worried about his sister, who is now with Baron Uvam.
What surprised the young Jedi were the thoughts of the mayor, Alu Raiv. The Vauzem delegation was disturbing to her, and she feels upset. Another thing she’s not sure about is lightsabers. She notices them all, and Elyon is then unable to explain why.
The result of her trial leads her to conclude that both sides want to win. Pith wants Tal to win. We don’t yet know what Baron Uvam will do.
“Furthermore, I will have to observe them and find out everything important.” The young Jedi said to herself, trying to look natural.
Tal nods to the Odanites. “So we are here to discuss things moving forward. I have no intention of leaving people in the hands of those who fail to do proper maintenance. And Odan-Urr has had one notably successful coup.”
The diplomat, leans back in his seat. “I hope you understand why the good Baron stepped in. But now we must discuss moving forward. I don’t suppose any of you have brought collected evidence forward? Or are we going to pull up maps for you?”
Artemis accepted the datapad with a combination of a nod and a slight bow. “As you wish, Governor.”
The moment she stepped outside of the meeting room, the half-Sephi opened the file that had unlocked when she had grabbed the device. Her feet carried her toward the exit as the Huntress swiftly read through the orders contained therein, before she paused just outside of the main doors to both slip the datapad underneath the tool kit and ammo pouch on her belt and to sweep her gaze around to locate the diplomat.
Having spotted the assistant diplomat — he was fairly easy to determine, due to both the distinctive uniform and the lack of civilians on the street — Artemis set off in pursuit, forced to duck behind visual obstructions to remain unseen by her quarry. The buildings in this section of the city were fairly tall and did not offer any advantages for tailing the Vauzem representative from above.
This continued for several blocks until the Sephi diplomat turned onto a side street and continued walking. As the Huntress hurried to catch up, she was able to make out voices, indicating that they had reached their destination.
Artemis’ own rapid footfalls had masked the sound of a Vauzem guard maintaining the perimeter about to turn the corner of the intersection and the half-Sephi skidded to a halt, which gained the attention of the patrol that she nearly ran into.
“You there! This is a restri—gah!”
Her pulse began to race as the Huntress focused, bringing up a hand as she half-turned away from the guard, a bright white flare of energy that erupted from her palm blinding the guard temporarily. The Vanguard continued the turn and started to run in the opposite direction, withholding a loud bout of swearing as Artemis turned her gaze inward, channeling the Force into her legs to enhance her natural speed.
She had failed. It was time to return to bodyguard duty after an attempt to get in touch with the High Councilor.
Tal sat smiling, looking at the group arrayed in front of him. The Quermian delegation had been silent, the Jedi seemingly quieted, and only Tierra posing any threat.
Then every datapad the Dominion had in the room went off three times. A security notification was the most visible, yet there were a pair of files sent by the diplomat who had left the room, sat tantalizingly present.
Tal looked at the files, scowling visibly at one of them.
The Diplomat, ‘Susan’, flanking Tal, eyed the files momentarily as well, her eyes looking forward to Tal before she made a gentle, and silent, tap on her datapad, sending the selfsame files to the datapads of the Quermians and their Odanite cohort. During the course of their deliberations and attempts at some sort of negotiation, it seemed that combat broke out between the Jedi protecting the Councilor of War and a Vauzem Infantry Battalion. The Second report was a notification of activation, droid manufactories across the planet had been activated and turned over to Vauzem control.