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May The Invisible Hand Be With You - (Star Wars CK2-Style Quest)

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Nalanaya said:
While taking down a dark Jedi is always a storyline in and of itself, unless their the Dark Lord, they always go down in the end. And Palpatine is the Dark Lord.

Also, doubt Palpy would use her as anything but another time-bombs in the Clone wars to destabilize things. He's already got an experienced Master Jedi in Dooku, and will be gunning for Anny for his power. A young Ciaren just wouldn't be able to compete with that.
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this....isnt a book. like at all. in anyway, so no, she wouldnt have to go down in the end, not like she WOULDNT, but it isnt a end all be all she is going to die in the end.
 
A Dark Ciaran is probably most dangerous in a timeline where Plaguis survives Palpatine's assassination attempt and develops Ciaran as an asset fully.

She's no Anakin but she's definitely worth having as an Acolyte, especially if she managed something like her quest development.

She might even be developed into a disposable apprentice and used to lead and develop the Separatists like Dooku was, she was heavily involved with the group that would go on to become the CIS after all.

Then Plaguis gets to play out the Clone Wars largely as planned, perhaps even keeping the original plan intact, just have Ciaran in Palpatine's place, but less personally threatening.
 
i have just notice a glaring problem in up possible upcoming battle scenario`s

we kind of control the CNS navy / armed forces right now (if by proxy) and have our own forces (that been mostly working in the shadows on there own)
but here the kicker, ciaran doesn`t have any real commander training.
if it ever came to fighting we have too leave it too other while we do diplo and sneak things

not bad, but for if and when we do go too war that might be an oversight
 
Redhead222 said:
i have just notice a glaring problem in up possible upcoming battle scenario`s

we kind of control the CNS navy / armed forces right now (if by proxy) and have our own forces (that been mostly working in the shadows on there own)
but here the kicker, ciaran doesn`t have any real commander training.
if it ever came to fighting we have too leave it too other while we do diplo and sneak things

not bad, but for if and when we do go too war that might be an oversight
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That's what we have Grand Admiral Thrawn for.
 
(Jedi) Change of Fate - I​

48 BBY, Taanab Spaceport

"I'm going to kill whoever the mechanics were on Castell. Mark my words … "

*zchunk*

"AH! KRIFF IT!"

"Going by your outburst, I take it the time until we depart has increased?"

"To hell with- … yeah. Sorry, Jedi, stupid idiots on Castell messed up the little things which caused issues with the bigger things and … just ... The entire system is going to have to be replaced. The fact that we were forced to land on Taanab … It's going to take at least a week to get the parts for the repairs. You'll be better off looking for another ride."

"Hmm … I understand. I guess then that this is where we part ways. May the Force be with you."

"Heh, yeah. Good luck."

The Jedi turns away from the pilot of the malfunctioning craft. A hand comes up to scratch his graying brown hair and then moves down to rub his growing goatee. The aging Jedi closes his brown eyes and smothers a sigh that tries to come up.

Frustrating, He thinks, but … I've had worse days than simple mechanical issues. I guess I should be thankful it was Taanab we landed at. I can probably get another shuttle from the AgriCorps.

The Jedi then moves to exit the open landing pad. Moving into Taanab's spaceport, he ignores the noises surrounding him. He takes slight notice of someone running in his direction but there's no sense of danger coming from the Force so he continues moving. The runner, a wide-eyed and roughly dressed man with a pointed chin beard, flies by. The Jedi allows him to pass by without issue which causes another runner up ahead to start yelling.

"Stop that fucker! Cata! Cata! Damn you, Silas! I'm going to kill you!"

The Jedi raises an eyebrow but doesn't stop as the next runner passes him as well.

No need to get involved. Others will deal with it.

He glances to the side and sees a guard standing at a doorway. The Jedi takes a few more steps but stops when he notices the guard remains standing still.

Surely? …

The faded yelling and continued threats can still be heard but all the guard does is glance in their direction. The guard shakes his head and turns around to go through the door. The Jedi looks around further and sees the few people there glancing with curiosity but not moving to help or call for help. The Jedi's eyes narrow.

No one is bothering. … Maybe a simple scuffle will be all that comes of it?

The Jedi then remembers the fear in the first runner's eyes and the way the second was tightly gripping his blaster.

This is not my issue. Nothing will-

' Damn you, Silas! I'm going to kill you! '

- come of it.

The Jedi's hands clench. Abruptly, the Jedi turns around and starts traveling in the opposite direction of what he was before. Meanwhile, Silas is continuing to run through the spaceport. He grabs at a communicator on his belt and quickly flips it on.

He shouts into the communicator, "Ciaran, you there? Ciaran!?"

A young girl's voice comes through. "Grampy?"

Silas smiles but then glances back and sees his tail still chasing him. He focuses forward and says, "I need you to start the ship!"

"Grampy, what's wrong?"

"Later, I need you to start the ship for me. Ciaran, can you do that?"

"Umm … what buttons do I press?"

Silas grimaces and a strangled whine comes out.

Damn! First thing I should have taught her!

"Nevermind, that! Hide! I want you to hide!"

Ciaran is starting to sound alarmed and asks, "Grampy, what's going on?"

"Later. Right now I need you to hide. Please, hide!"

Ciaran hesitantly says, "Okay … "

Silas cuts off the communicator just as he arrives at a hangar door. He slams the open button. It takes a second for the door to open and, when it's fully open, Silas runs inside. He rushes to the underside of an old YT-1300 freighter and punches the release hatch to his ship.

"Grampy?"

Silas whirls around. On top of a few boxes near the entrance is a small girl of around 6 years old wearing clean and nice-looking clothes. Ash-blonde hair is wrapped around her small face and kept in place by a simple black blindfold which covers her eyes. The child is crouching down and looking directly at Silas. Silas gulps and points at her.

"Stay there until I tell you to run inside the ship, okay Ciaran?"

"What- "

"SILAS!!"

Both Silas and Ciaran jump at the yell.

Silas whisper-yells at Ciaran, "Hide!"

Just as Ciaran jumps down behind the boxes, the one chasing Silas arrives. The freighter's ramp finishes dropping down and Silas tries to turn around but a blaster bolt goes through the air just beside his head.

The chaser growls, "Don't move you prick!"

Silas freezes and slowly moves his shaking hands into the air. He turns around to face a slightly pudgy and balding man.

"Surely, Honecker, we can talk like two honorable rogues?"

Honecker spits at Silas's feet and bares his teeth. He has his finger on the trigger of the gun he's pointing at Silas. It's twitching.

"Shut it. You'll be talking alright. "

Silas winces.

"You think you could get away with that shit? I had ordered you to pick up a package for me: two tons of Thisspiasian Scrappers. What did I get? One ton of Thisspiasian SCRAPERS!"

Silas argues, "That's what I was given! Your contract said that it would be to pick up a package. Nothing was said of the contents! The guy who was filling the order said he got it right. The only thing I cared about was whether or not I would have had to add a charge for smuggling! The package had legal contents and-"

Honecker fires back, "Of course it was fucking legal! They're SCRAPERS not Scrappers!"

Silas shouts, "And they were signed in YOUR name! Are you going to shoot the messenger just because your PARTNER got it wrong and YOU didn't read the invoice!?"

Honecker growls again. His grip on his pistol tightens but he doesn't pull the trigger. The standoff lasts for a minute until Honecker looks like he's going to relax. That's when a small voice shouts, "Grampy!"

Silas's eyes shoot wide and he looks over to the boxes by the door with dread. There, Ciaran is standing up and pointing through the door.

She says, "Big light coming fast!"

Honecker whirls around.

"What!?"

Ciaran jumps back down as Silas steps forward and waves his hand.

Silas pleads, "Honecker, she's harmless!"

Honecker wings back around to Silas and his grip on the pistol tightens.

"Who the hell is she?"

"A child!"

"That doesn't tell me shit! Who is she?"

Ciaran speaks up again.

"Grampy! The light-"

Honecker whirls around with his pistol and yells at Ciaran.

"Shut it, kid!"

Silas doesn't think, he moves. Instead of taking out his own pistol, he jumps in front of Ciaran and Honecker. Honecker sees the movement and moves his pistol to intercept. Honecker fires.

Ciaran cries out, "NOOO, GRAMPY!!"

*snap-hiss*

"Huh?"

Honecker turns back around to see a lightsaber. Instinctively, he fires and the shot is deflected away. The Jedi's lunge cuts Honecker across his chest and pistol arm. His arm flies away.

"Grrk!"

Honecker falls down and the Jedi advances to better view the situation. His eyes move to the young girl who rushes towards the downed runner he saw earlier. The girl screams, "GRAMPY!!"

She falls beside him. Silas is barely breathing from the shot he took to the center of his chest. Silas struggles to turn to face Ciaran. At the same time the Jedi is talking into his own communicator and calling for medical assistance. Ciaran grabs onto Silas.

"Grampy?"

Silas smiles weakly.

"Hey, Ciaran. … Rough day, huh?"

Ciaran has started to cry.

She whimpers, "You'll be okay? Right, Grampy?"

"Yeah, I ju-" A small cough breaks through. "Gramps just needs some … some rest, is all … "

Silas's sight moves to the robed Jedi looking over them with a complex expression. Silas tries to smirk but it comes out pained.

"Big ... light, huh?"

Ciaran digs her head into Silas's side and nods.

She mumbles, "Mhmm…"

Silas hums. He looks directly at the Jedi.

" 'Big Light', over ... here."

The Jedi moves forward and kneels before the two. Ciaran takes glance and then grimaces and turns away.

"Too bright."

The Jedi looks at her and then focuses on Silas. A baritone voice replies in a soft tone, "Yes?"

Silas's eyes are half-closed and he says weakly, "Granddaughter … cute kid … care for her?"

The Jedi hesitates in answering. He doesn't want to be responsible for the child. He was on the way to Obroa-Skai and he didn't want to make this journey longer.

"Surely, the authorities … "

Surely? …

Flashes of recent memories shoot through the Jedi's mind. A guard shakes his head and ignores Silas being chased. Others glance with curiosity but don't help.

Surely …

The Jedi decides to feel the Force. He thinks that when the Force doesn't actively reply then the AgriCorps could help the child. He closes his eyes and opens himself up. For a second nothing is felt and the Jedi is comforted, but at the last second the faintest of sensations directs him to look at the child. He opens his eyes and senses the Force within her. It's weaker than initiates of her age but still there. Even the sensation that directs him to her is weak. It's as if the Force is saying that It can be easily ignored. It is his choice. The Jedi's hands clench.

But that would be willful ignorance and if I chose willful ignorance before then that might have seen her shot.

The Jedi breathes in and out.

"Big Light?"

The Jedi hones in on the soft voice. Ciaran is leaning into her grandfather but looking at the Jedi through her blindfold. He can sense the small prods she uses to see. Tentative. Wary. The Jedi's lips purse but he comes to a decision. He looks at Silas. Silas's eyes are struggling but still open. The Jedi nods his head.

Slowly he says, "I will."

Silas nods slightly. He breathes in.

"Gooo … "

He breathes out.

Ciaran whispers, "Grampy?"

She turns to look up at him and says, "Your light- GRAMPY!?"

Silas is silent. His eyes are closed and chest unmoving. Ciaran jerks up and shakes him. The Jedi grabs Ciaran and she struggles.

"Grampy, wake up!"

Ciaran turns towards the Jedi.

"What's wrong with Grampy?"

Jedi sits down. He looks away.

"He is one with the Force."

"What?"

The Jedi looks back to Ciaran. Ciaran is still and her blindfold is getting damp around the eyes. The Jedi realizes she doesn't understand. She likely doesn't know much about the Force other than her sight. He sighs.

"He is resting."

Ciaran's lips tremble. She looks back and forth between Silas's body and the Jedi. Eventually she mumbles out an okay and crumples in on herself. It's less than a minute later when paramedics arrive. Honecker is proclaimed dead on sight. Emergency treatment is used on Silas but in the end it's only for show. Silas is dead before making it to the hospital.

Ciaran refuses to leave Silas's side. The Jedi lets Ciaran go with the paramedics as he decides to temporarily leave to call the both the AgriCorps and the Port Authorities. From the Agricorps he requests a shuttle and from the Port he investigates Silas's history.

"Smuggler?"

"Potentially. His vessel contained cargo which was contraband in nearby systems but not here. Also, one of our more experienced ship estimators found at least one hidden space in the ship. It wasn't shielded like most of them tend to be so there might be others which are that we missed, but the estimator didn't take too much time."

"Figures … Apologies, please continue."

"No problem. Leeches, all of them. Anyway, we're thinking right now it was a smuggler meeting in broad daylight with legal goods that nonetheless went south. Cameras in the assailant's hangar were found to be faulty, and the camera in the victim's had no sound, so we aren't able to find out exactly what the argument was about but evidence points towards such a situation."

"Faulty cameras?"

"The port has hundreds of cameras of different types. Some are tracked, others not. And only a few of the latter have their footage regularly checked."

The Jedi sighs instead of growling.

"Very well. … The child?"

"Records found on the ship have her named as Ciaran. The only Ciaran Cata's we found weren't of the correct age or species. No other last name was found and so we can't find next-of-kin. As for Mr. Cata himself … well he seems to have really got around - so to speak - so that didn't help either. You'll just have to ask her yourself."

"Understood. Thank you."

"Of course. Does the Order care about the ship at all?"

"No. Any profit should go to the AgriCorps."

"I'll make a note of that. Force be with you Master Jedi."

"You as well."

The Jedi closes his communicator and his eyes. He finally growls and rubs the bridge of his nose. He walks further into the hospital where Ciaran ended up. He releases as much as he can out into the Force. He points his senses at the child he can now sense in the reception area. He thinks after finding her family he will have done what he would have to. Even still, the faint tug is still there. Weak and barely noticeable but still there. The Jedi sighs yet again.

The Jedi enters the area and sees Ciaran curled up on a couch. She's looking at him. Her blindfold is gone and the Jedi sees pale silver eyes which don't move by themselves. He walks up to her and she sits up.

He looks down and gives a small bow. He greets her.

"Ciaran."

Ciaran gives a slight nod and says, "Big Light."

The Jedi snorts softly. He looks at her eyes and see they are red-rimmed. Tear tracks cover her face. He asks, "Where is your blindfold?"

Ciaran looks down at the floor and sniffs. Another tear falls down. She mumbles, "Grampy…"

The Jedi raises an eyebrow.

"... Grampy?"

Ciaran nods and explains.

"Mhmm … gift. He gave it to me. I wanted him to have it."

"Ah … "

The Jedi looks up for a moment and then back down. He asks, "Was … 'Grampy' your only family?"

Ciaran hesitates before slowly shaking her head.

She says, "Parents …"

The Jedi smiles for once and nods his head.

"You would want to go back to them, wouldn't you?"

Ciaran scrunches her nose, shakes her head and says, "No."

The Jedi's nodding head stops quick and he grimaces. He doesn't sense any love, joy, or warmth he would think a child should have towards their parents. Maybe fear and childish anger would be understandable but to only feel annoyance? Frustration? And all of this from a small child?

"Why?"

"Mean. Tyrant. … Don't like them."

The Jedi senses feelings of being bound and alone. They war with the desire for freedom. Nothing malicious but definitely distinctive. The Jedi frowns and furrows his eyes.

"But they are your parents."

A moment passes by but then the Jedi senses a sudden growth of apathy which confuses and worries the Jedi.

"... Don't care."

" … Is there no one else?"

Ciaran thinks for a second and then bites her mouth. She folds her legs and then digs her head into them. She still nods and weakly answers with, "Gr-Grammy."

The Jedi doesn't understand and asks, "Who?"

"Gramma."

The Jedi realizes.

Grandmother.

The Jedi finally kneels down and says, "She would want to see you wouldn't she?"

Ciaran nods her head again but doesn't look up.

The Jedi smiles and tries to send comforting feelings towards the child.

"Well then, let me take you to her. She would want to know you are alright."

Ciaran finally looks up with damp eyes. She stares for a moment but eventually nods again.

"Okay."

The Jedi lends her a hand and CIaran takes it. The two head for the door.

The Jedi asks, "What system does your Grandmother live on?"

Ciaran's face scrunches up before she dubiously replies, "Alferdie?"

The Jedi frowns. "I'm sorry, I have not heard of that system."

Ciaran tries again and says, "Luka. Has Luka something."

The Jedi's eyes widen and he finally figures out what system she meant and how the child is force sensitive.

Luka Sene. Alpheridies. That's only a few systems away from Obroa-Skai. Thank the Force for small mercies.

"I know now where your Grandmother lives."

"Okay."

The two of them travel further into the spaceport and arrive at an AgriCorps hanger. The pilot there shows the Jedi the docked shuttle and all of them board. The shuttle lifts off and makes its way to orbit.

Ciaran pokes the Jedi who looks to her. She says, "Thank you, Big Light."

The Jedi closes his eyes and snorts. He smiles and bows again.

"You're welcome. But 'Big Light' is not my name. Please, call me Master Dooku."


Point of Departure: Master Dooku decides not to take Komari Vosa as an apprentice in worries of both her temper and her unnerving focus on him.

Butterflies (Head Canon Only): Due to this, his actions lead him to be at Taanab during the early moments of Ciaran's running away with her Grandfather. Before, Honecker would calm down enough to force Silas to take him to meet his partner. Silas and Ciaran would part ways with him peacefully enough. Ciaran chooses to remain with her Grandfather. But now that Dooku is there to follow the chase, Ciaran senses him approaching and tries to warn her grandfather that something/someone is coming. Things fall apart there and then, as you read.

Future: My ideas for the next part boil down to Ciaran's Miralukan grandmother persuading (read guilt tripping with help from the Force) Dooku to take her to Coruscant. After that would be spoilers.
 
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i realy like that......man i love dooku as a character, he was never a EVIL person, not realy. at least in the movies he never did any of the "true" sithy things you know???
i hope this dooku isnt super evil either.
 
Andres110 said:
He bragged about being more powerful than Yoda. I think that counts.
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That's kindergarden level Sith stuff. As in, back when the Sith Empire existed, and therefore had a preschool system, bragging was one of the activities the little kids did, along with finger painting and playing in the yard.

Many of them probably bragged about how they'd defeat this or that famous Jedi, too.
 
also dooku was basicly telling off his not dad. cause i THINK that the relationship between padawan and master is that of a kind of student teacher/ parent child kinda thing.
basicly dooku was going though his goth phase.
 
dredloki said:
also dooku was basicly telling off his not dad. cause i THINK that the relationship between padawan and master is that of a kind of student teacher/ parent child kinda thing.
basicly dooku was going though his goth phase.
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I'm sorry but that sounds ludicrous. How old was Dooku when he left the order? Late 60's? That's not a Goth phase. Too old.

He might have started out as a well-intentioned extremist organizing resistance against the ineffectual and corrupt Republic government but he was eventually "seduced to the dark-side" by Palpatine. He was a bad guy. He was ruthless.

If you're joking, okay. That's my bad. *whoosh* But if not, then please don't gloss over Dooku's fall and his actions that came from it.
 
Killerflood said:
I'm sorry but that sounds ludicrous. How old was Dooku when he left the order? Late 60's? That's not a Goth phase. Too old.

He might have started out as a well-intentioned extremist organizing resistance against the ineffectual and corrupt Republic government but he was eventually "seduced to the dark-side" by Palpatine. He was a bad guy. He was ruthless.

If you're joking, okay. That's my bad. *whoosh* But if not, then please don't gloss over Dooku's fall and his actions that came from it.
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its a joke yes. i still like to think of him as a well meaning extremist that was trying to use palps for his own ends and realized to late that he was in over his head right after his head got loped.
 
Dr. Snark said:
[X] CNS Defense Taskforce: The Council of Neutral System already has a Joint Forces Command that you basically controls. Now that the CNS spans the galaxy, expand the JFC's role and integrate the new members' armies and fleets, to secure all CNS territory and ensure local stability and security. Chance of Success: 70% Cost: 150 Reward: improved odds for CNS recruitment, small decrease in CNS investment penalty (anti-piracy), better military preparedness

Rolled: 57 + 15 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) = 92 (Critical Success)

As it turns out, having Incom shipyards over Taris helped set up a proper military, who would have thought?

More specifically, with a few key investments into ship production at planets like Gwori and Taris and so on you've managed to help the CNS put together quite the collection of ships. It's not an official military by any stretch, after all after the Saboath raids there's just a dire need for protection in areas like the Southern Rim!

...Well, that and you've also taken some advice from Thrawn and helped set up an (unofficial of course) Admiralty Board for the CNS, "promoting" officers based on their skill and abilites and in general organizing the command structure much more thoroughly. You've even gotten word that the Gererra siblings have manged to make it quite far up though you can't quite recall what the precise "rank" they reached was.

At the end of the day though the CNS now has a much greater ability for self-defense against Palp - er - pirates. Yes, that's it. Pirates. Obviously.

Rewards: CNS Military highly organized and now has considerably more ability to protect itself. Increased CNS recruitment odds, 5% decrease in investment penalty due to pirates being very scared of attacking CNS traffic in general

[X] Foundry Raid Night: It's going to be a long and bloody struggle, but the rewards from taking control of the Foundry would be soooooo worth it. Send over your men and see just how far they can get this quarter. (Starts Foundry Assault mini-turn)
-[X] HK-47
-[X] Grievous

Hopefully sending your bloodthirstiest commanders to the Foundry will get results without too many casualties... (To be continued in mini-turn)

[X] Watching The Watchmen: While you haven't been formally in contact with the Jedi Sentinels as of late due to your issues with the Order, getting back into contact with them at this point would certainly be useful to both sides. Chance of Success: 80% Reward: Formal contact with Jedi Sentinels restored

Rolled: 47 + 5 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) = 72 (Success)

For better or for worse the recent protests made this much easier.

When you reached out through the clandestine channels you had set up with the Sentinels a few years ago you got a quick response from them, and they were more than willing to reopen formal communications with you. They noted that despite the mainline Order's distrust of you you have proven to be an invaluable source of information for the Sentinels in the past, to say nothing of their help with killing Durge before his rampage could continue. And with the current protests upping in intensity they would appreciate having extra eyes on it just in case.

You've also agreed to send them information on various suspicious targets and locations for them to investigate; nothing that will lead them directly to Palpatine yet, but various people and facilities that would make his life just a bit more difficult if someone were to find them.

Rewards: +5 Intrigue bonus from Sentinel assistance restored, increased chance of Sentinel assistance on various matters

[X] But What About The Younglings!? (CNS): If your Shatterpoint abilities are telling you that the mounting protests around the Jedi Temple are going to lead to something big, it maaaay be worth listening to it and doing some preemptive preparations for whatever is about to happen. The Jedi Council might not be willing to cooperate with you, but encouraging Satine to help them move younglings and non-essential personnel offsite for the immediate future might not be the worst idea. Chance of Success: 80% Cost: 100 Reward: Non-essential personnel temporarily evacuated from Jedi Temple for the duration of the protests

Rolled: 91 + 10 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) = 121 (Super Critical Success)

Truth be told you technically barely did anything yourself; you just told Satine about the mounting protests and how there had barely been any updates to the Temple's security since a shuttle filled with bloodthirsty Sith slammed into it during the Sack of Coruscant a few millennia back. All she needed to do was to ask Obi-Wan for proof, he'd certainly confirm her words!

Within a few days she contacted the Council offering to not only help move younglings and non-essential personnel offsite for the duration of the protests, but she also insisted that the Temple at bare minimum have proper escape routes, a better security system in general, and an uptick in bodies patrolling it. Her arguments (that you mostly had nothing to do with) were that given the war a terrorist strike on the Temple was an alarmingly plausible possibility. Thankfully she was quite successful, and most of the non-essential personnel have been moved to a small facility quickly built on Tython for the time being.

And all without you barely having to lift a finger.

Rewards: Non-essential Temple personnel moved to Tython for the immediate future, increased security measures set up in/around Jedi Temple

[X] Sienar Custom Vessel: Now that you've partnered with Sienar you can request customized ships from them for a price. You can either send them a plan of your own, or give their engineers a base concept and let them work out the details. Chance of Success: 90%
-[X] Chu'unthor Phase 2 Repairs: Raith's made himself clear: unless the Chu'unthor gets a stealth drive it's not going anywhere lest it get picked up by the Jedi. Not to mention that the training rooms and such need repairs in and of themselves. Cost: 200 Reward: Chu'unthor repairs continued

Rolled: 43 + 10 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) = 73 (Success)

Raith was all too happy to report that with the Chu'unthor's newly installed stygium device it was now capable of stealth and moving throughout space undetected, to say nothing of the various odds and ends that he installed on the ship in the process. The training rooms aboard the ship were also rendered functional, though Raith admitted that to his frustration the vessel may not function to the specifications it had previously due to a lack of past blueprints and his inexperience with anything Force-related.

Still, the ship is now functional and more importantly able to be hidden. That's far more than you could ever want.

Rewards: Chu'unthor now mission-functional, gain free action to contact one Force Order per turn

[X] Deepen The Baobab Partnership: Fact of the matter is that working with the Baobabs has already resulted in a considerable influx of credits into your accounts. Why not try and deepen the partership further, see if you can gain more from it? Besides, you're curious about this "Mungo" character Ebenn mentioned before... Chance of Success: 70% Reward: Partnership with Baobabs deepened

Rolled 2, Rerolled to 17 + 10 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) = 47 (Success)

With everything going on this quarter you barely had time to focus your Shatterpoint abilities on this to get a result you wanted. Things still worked out though.

While a decent chunk of this was going into further negotiations with Ebenn, you did spend some time tracking down the elusive Mungo Baobab.

The phrase "tracking down" turned out to be much more literal though as he had gone missing from Manda on some "foolish misadventure" in Ebenn's words, forcing you to track him down...okay you had an idea of where he was at thanks to Shatterpoint but the principle was the same. It turned out that Mungo had gone on an expedition to a planetoid near Bothawui that was rumored to be a source of valuable minerals that he believed would help set up a valuable trade deal with Bothawui, only to find a group of thugs already harvesting the area. They did not take kindly to his presence and tried to kill him, managing to blow up his ship and nearly corner him (after quite the lengthy and thrilling chase or so he told you after the fact) before you and a team of Guardians showed up to bail him out. After that was resolved you were able to have a polite conversation with the young man.

You're not going to lie; Mungo was quite the charmer and you could tell that Ebenn's comments about the "youthful energy" the two of you shared was quite accurate. He was enthusiastic in talking about the mineral veins he had found and how the proposed deal with Bothawui would help provide more raw materials for the region and strengthen the ties between Manda and Bothawui, only talking about the amount of credits it would bring in as an afterthought. After that the two of you ended up trading stories about the various misadventures you had gotten into (well, you censored yours but he didn't have to know that), and you're definitely of the mind that the Baobabs are lucky to have him.

When you told Chora about him, she only said "I'd be careful around him. A man that good looking, charming, and adventurous? That means there's a pretty good chance he's one of your cousins. Believe me...I would know."

Oh and you also managed to get better deals with the Baobabs. That's nice too.

Rewards: 5% decrease in Investment penalty due to better deals with the Baobabs, property on Manda now cheaper, met Mungo Baobab in person

[X] One Fried Paranoiac, Extra Crispy: Fry is a paranoid man who is now of the belief that both the Republic and CIS are out to get him...the thing is while his reasoning is wrong his conclusions are entirely correct in a sense. Why not point this out to him and get one of the most talented inventors in the galaxy fully on your side? Chance of Success: 60% Reward: Taelsan Fry formally recruited
-[X] PR-1

Rolled 47 + 10 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) + 12 (PR-1) = 89 (Success)

After PR-1 went through what could only be described as a ludicrous amount of security to get into Talesan's Box, he managed to come face-to-face with Fry once again, who apparently had looked considerably more haggard than he had been previously - evidently his almost complete solitude after the abortive codebreaker sale had not been good for his health.

When PR-1 told him that you had an offer for him he nearly rejected it out of paranoia, only relenting when you agreed to meet him personally in the Box.

When you told him what was really going on in the galaxy and how Palpatine was playing both sides he first passed out from shock. Then once he came to he interrogated you in depth, and admittedly it took quite the effort on your part to make sure that you didn't reveal too much information while still convincing him you were telling the truth.

...You did tell him in no small words that if Palpatine won it was almost guaranteed Obi-Wan and Siri would die to Order 66. He ended up yelling at you to get out once you told him about that, though you could tell it was more so he could process what you had said than out of anger.

A day later he contacted you again, asking a single question:

"What can I do to help stop him?"

Reward: Talesan Fry recruited

[X] Operation Ultra: With Fry's codebreaker you have a major opportunity to crack into some of the most classified transmissions on Coruscant. Going over transmissions to and from Palpatine on the planet could give you some vital intel on his stooges in the Republic. Chance of Success: 60% Reward: Gather information on Palpatine and his inner circle in the Republic
-[X] 2 Watchers

Rolled: 32 + 15 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) + 2 (Watchers) = 79 (Success)

Damn if that codebreaker wasn't worth picking up. The Watcher teams assigned to the area were flooded with transmissions that the codebreaker almost effortlessly decoded, giving you incredibly valuable intel on Palpatine's supporters.

You knew Mas Amedda would be a factor, Armand was already a suspect from Seti's testimony about his exile, but your men determined that (shockingly) effectively the entirety of the Office of the Supreme Chancellor was in on his plans in at least some degree. Whether it was expanding his political power or silencing enemies, your men were positive that they were each playing a role in Palpatine's plot. However they also indicated that they were for the most part unaware that Palpatine was a Sith Lord, though the dossiers put together indicate that they would probably not care given the circumstances.

While they weren't able to get anything truly incriminating, the ability to put together far more complete dossiers on Palpatine's sycophants is more than worth it.

Reward: Dossiers put together for Palpatine's closest supporters, directed actions against individual members now possible

[X] Return to Tipoca City: Kal's suggested a daring plan given your trips to Kamino: he wants your help in hacking into Tipoca City's central mainframe to get more details about the inhibitor chips, how to sabotage them, and just as importantly where the clones with the chips you ended up sabotaging are. It'll be difficult after the attack on the planet, but far from impossible. Chance of Success: 60% Reward: Information on inhibitor chip implantation and chipless clones gathered, high potential for sabotage

Rolled: 80 + 15 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) = 115 (Super Critical Success)

So. The break-in went very well with the SIGINT support you gave to Skirata's team with the help of Fry's codebreaker.

The Null ARCs managed to get into Tipoca City's databanks and got the records you needed to figure out the regiment that was rendered chipless by the Silencer's act of sabotage a few years ago. Apparently the 412th Regiment has been serving with distinction in the Southern Rim, and thankfully has managed to take relatively few casualties.

As for Kal's side, he managed to get a few modifications applied to the inhibitor chips, namely making them more or less useless for actually inhibiting any future clones, and managed to gain quite a considerable amount of insight on the genetic makeup of the clone army. Apparently that should help with Kal's project.

Furthermore, the team managed to locate a message indicating the Palpatine was establishing new cloning facilities on Coruscant (or more accurately the moon Kal had pointed out), so you have that to poke at and figure out.

...Though there was one other surprise, and your men overseeing the op knew it was quite the thing when the Null ARCs started to swear profusely more or less in unison once they found particularly...distressing files in Tipoca City's systems.

Somehow, through a twisted leap of logic that would make the Arkanians proud the Kaminoans decided that cloning a damned Jedi Knight (one Falon Grey) would be a good idea, and to hell with the potential consequences. For better or worse (you really aren't quite sure honestly) it actually worked without them going completely insane, and now there are a pair of Force-sensitive clone troopers codenamed X1 and X2 running around. At least they aren't chipped, so there are some small mercies in this galaxy.

Well...all things considered that went well even with that little revelation.

Rewards: Future inhibitor chips sabotaged, chipless regiment located, info on Coruscant cloning facility located, information on Jedi clones codenamed "X1" & "X2" discovered

[X] Rust And Metalorn: You've got a lead that not only is the Techno Union planning on rolling out a line of cortosis-alloyed battle droids but also that Wat Tambor himself will be on the planet for the foreseeable future to oversee the project. Those two factors combined make this too good to ignore; send out the best men you have, sabotage the project, steal the droids for your own purposes, and maybe get a crack at capturing Wat himself. Chance of Success: 60% Reward: CB-3 droids captured and production sabotaged, potential to capture Wat Tambor
-[X] The Silencer

Rolled: 96 + 15 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) + 10 (Silencer) = 151 (Insane Critical Success)

He stole everything.

Everything.

You'd normally say that's hyperbole but in all sincerity it barely is: the Silencer ended up carrying out what could only be described as the heist of the century on Metalorn.

How else could you describe his decision to kick off a full-blown mass breakout at the planet's infamous Unreal City by setting off explosive charges around/within it, ensuring that the flames could be seen from orbit...all as a distraction? The fact that he apparently inadvertently helped free Jedi Master Shaak Ti (who was apparently being held on the planet at the time) by coincidence only served to fuel the chaos further as she fought her way out alongside the prisoners contained within it.

With the prison drawing considerable amounts of security forces to try and contain what could only be described as a full on riot at the Unreal City, the Silencer followed that up by disguising the teams with him as Republic soldiers (Kal was all too happy to have his commandos take credit for it when you told him you needed cover for it), then launching a surprise assault on the cortosis droid plants. He and his teams not only stole the blueprints and several units of CB-3 droids, but also managed to capture blueprints on Hyena Bombers. Crab Droids. Various odd R&D projects that the TU was working on. He even managed to get complete blueprints for droidekas.

And then he blew up the CB-3 plants for good measure.

Then after that, as an encore he managed to capture Wat Tambor as he tried to escape the planet on a personal courier. Because of course he did.

So end result: Metalorn is burning, it's been written off as a Republic attack, you've gotten the blueprints for basically every Techno Union design you could ever want, and Wat is now at your tender mercies.

And that is why you pay the Silencer so much. Now...what exactly are you going to do with Wat?

Rewards: CB-3 droid design stolen, 2 functional units of CB-3 droids stolen, CB-3 factories destroyed and blamed on Republic commando raids, blueprints for Hyena bombers, Crab Droids, and Droidekas stolen, Wat Tambor captured, Silencer's "Combat Infiltrator" trait upgrades to "Insurgent." Wat's fate to be determined in "Captive Audience" minilude.

[X] Carrot and Stick: You know how this game is played. With one hand, ensure that Thyferra gets the memo that it is not wanted in the CNS -- intimidation, blackmail, sabotage, and the like. With the other, offer Thyferra a consolation prize for withdrawing its application -- promise to help smuggle bacta supplies off the planet, to be sold in the black market for our mutual profit. They get the benefits of CNS member (access to the wider galaxy); you avoid the political complication of actual membership. Chance of Success: 50% Reward: Thyferra dissuaded from openly joining, black market ties with planet established
-[X] Silas Cata

Rolled: 47 + 15 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) + 12 (Silas) = 94 (Critical Success)

"Alright, here's how it's going to play out. We don't want you to join us. We don't want your planet, we don't want your borderline slaving corporations, we don't want the political catastrophe that would happen if you decided to join our little club. If you try to join, we will do everything we can to make your lives hell.

Now, you might call this a raw deal, and I'd be inclined to agree with you. I'm a scoundrel by trade, and if there's two things I understand in this galaxy its raw deals and how to make money in spite of them.

See, here's where we can work something out. We might not want you officially, but we get that you don't like how the Seps are keeping you from selling more bacta. So instead of making life worse for each other why don't we work together instead.

You back off on this little application, and in return we can help you get business on the side. Quite a bit. Those numbers I sent you were the low end of what the expected profits would be.

Now, whaddya say?"

...It didn't take long for the Thyferran government to withdraw their application, and within a few days you've set up some clandestine routes for bacta smuggling.

Rewards: Thyferra withdraws application with effectively zero publicity, significant black market ties established, +100 smuggling income from bacta with potential for further covert expansion on Thyferra

[X] Archaeological Expeditions: There are very famous sites in the galaxy that are dying for someone to lead expeditions to...and potentially locate Force-related artifacts. Chance of Success: 70% (80% on planets with a *) Cost: 50 Reward: Expedition to chosen location launched
-[X] Yavin IV*: Home to many different Force temples and was the home base for many famed Sith Lords, the moon would certainly contain plenty of interesting artifacts on its surface.

Rolled: 44 + 15 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) = 79 (Success)

Truth be told your teams were more or less overloaded with sites to poke at.

With the entire moon to explore, your teams ended up doing what they could to investigate the various temples on the planet. The bad news was that the Force-sensitive members of the team ended up sensing significant amounts of Dark Side energy from a number of the more intact tombs, and they did not fancy their chances against whatever was still within them without the help of you, Asajj, or the Walkers. (Vectivus agreed that this was unquestionably the right decision all things considered.) That being said they did confirm that there was little to no presence on the planet, so if you wanted to, say, set up a full-blown facility with teams like the one on Dantooine it would basically go unnoticed, and they did bring back a Corusca gem recovered from a temple that didn't have Dark Side energy emanating from it.

Not to mention that your Shatterpoint abilities have been quite active at pointing at the planet in general, so it definitely has far more to hide...

Rewards: Corusca gem brought back and sold for one-time +75 income, obvious indicators that the planet has considerably more to find than a cursory investigation would be able to handle

[X] No Match for a Good Blaster At Your Side: Cheriss has pointed out that the kyber traditionally used for lightsabers could also go into particularly powerful blasters that might even be more in-tune with the Force, making Blazing Chains techniques easier. That being said it'd be slightly more difficult to design these, but only slightly. Chance of Success: 70% Reward: Customized blasters designed for Force users

Rolled 80 + 15 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) = 115 (Super Critical Success)

This seemed rather absurd, that is until Cheriss' breakthroughs with her own experimental research came into play... (To be continued in Breakthrough)

[X] Ysalamiri Investigation: The records from Obroa-Skai have helped you realized what's so special about Myrkr: the ysalamiri, a species that is somehow capable of naturally repelling the Force in a bubble around them. The applications for them are blindingly obvious and are far easier to act on than anything else you know of right now. The only catch is that from what you can tell it's been impossible to get them off of Myrkr otherwise you would have crates filled with the things right this second. Send your biologists, material researchers, hell, anyone available to figure out how to get these things off-planet. Chance of Success: 50% Cost: 200 Reward: Determine method to transport ysalamiri off of Myrkr [1 Turn Remaining]

Oh this was worth it. This was sosososo soooooooo worth it.

Your scientists managed to put together a simulacrum of the trees that the ysalamiri attached themselves to, continuing to provide them with nutrients but allowing them to be transported off of Myrkr.

Once the first ones arrived on the Oracle, you went to see them yourself.

Your Force Vision failed to work once you got close enough; it wasn't like when you faced down Nihilus' echo by any stretch but it was still noticeable. You tried to pull and push things. Nothing.

...You couldn't ask for a better tool to use against Palpatine.

Reward: Ysalamiri now able to be transported off Myrkr

[X] Personal Shield Technology: It's saddening, but personal shields have become more and more difficult to find and produce in spite of their prevalence in the past. That being said creating an in-house model would mean that you would have a very powerful tool of your own to use, and you have quite a bit of data on them between HK-47's records and the data recovered from the Arkanian Legacy. And for that matter Var Zheen has floated some ideas based on the energy shields of the Gungans... Chance of Success: 80% Cost: 150 Reward: Personal Shields (re-)developed [Takes 2 Turns]

Rolled 47 + 20 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) = 87 (Success)

Bad news: it's going to take more time to get these ready, and not in time for the Foundry assaults this quarter.

Good news: they'll be finished next quarter and Var Zheen has apparently been designing some prototypes that will have other applications.

Reward: Personal Shield research started (Finishes next turn)

[X] Sair Frame Integration: The good news: Cheriss' mechu-deru enhanced designs for your droid units promises to make them far more effective than any of their equivalents on the open market. The bad news: it's going to take time and credits to get the production lines on the factories you own to switch over to the new designs, not to mention rebuilding the ones already active. Still would definitely be worth it though... Chance of Success: 80% Cost: 200 Reward: Sair frames integrated into current/future droid units

Rolled: 31 + 20 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) = 71 (Success)

The B1s are actually capable of being effective soldiers.
The B2s are harder to kill than ever, and the same goes for the CB-3 droids the Silencer stole.
The BXs are tougher and more responsive.
The Spider Droids now have even tougher armor and more active weaponry.

Not to mention that from what Cheriss has told you, the processing power on every droid unit from the B1s to any Vulture droids has been upgraded substantially, making them even more effective at acting independently and more effective at adapting to changes in a battle.

You can't really go wrong with any of that.

Rewards: Sair frames integrated into all droid units, all units are now considerably more effective

[X] Physical Training: At this point you're on par with your stronger associates, but you know that you have to keep improving. Chance of Success: 70%
-[X] Form III (Soresu) Training: While Form II has proven to be a useful tool at times, you would certainly appreciate the chance to expand your abilities in lightsaber combat just in case. And wouldn't you know it, you happen to know one of the best users of Form III in the galaxy-one Obi-Wan Kenobi. Annoy him enough like you did Dooku and you might have the chance to pick up some pointers from him. Reward: Martial Increase, Form III training (Takes 2 Turns)

Rolled: 16 + 15 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) = 51 (Success)

What could possibly go wrong? (To be contiuned in Hard Lessons)

[X] Personal attention/Increased Focus: Sometimes you just have to either keep an eye on your minions to ensure that they don't screw up or prepare more intensively for something that you need to handle personally. Chance of Success: 100%. Reward: Your stats + Force Sight bonus added to a action of your choice
-[X] Miss Ciaran, I Expect You To Dine

Mm.

[X] Miss Ciaran, I Expect You To Dine: After all of the assassins Dooku has been sending after you, the last thing you expected to get from him was an invitation to a formal dinner on Serenno. It's obvious Dooku has some ulterior motive, but you won't really know what it is unless you decide to go... Chance of Success: ??? Reward: ???
-[X] Personal Attention
-[X] Thrawn
-[X] 8 Watchers

Rolled: 77 + 5 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) + 40 (PA) + 17 (Thrawn) + 8 (Watchers) = 167 (Insane Critical Success)

...Might as well see what he wants then. (To be continued in A Nobleman And A Sith)

[X] Annoy Padme (Free Action, no bonuses): The honeymoon suite prank went even better than expected. You have to see how the rest of this plays out. Chance of Success: Yes. Reward: Entertainment

Rolled: 77

Still worth it. (To be continued in turn results Pt. 2)

[X] Under The Knife: With the facilities of the Arkanian Legacy at their disposal, the Arkanians can easily genemod anyone you want to go through the process. Chance of Success: 70% Cost: 100 Reward: Selected Hero Unit genemodded
-[X] Choose 1 Hero Unit:
--[X] Ventress: Leery of the Arkanians, it might be a bit difficult to get her to go through with it.
-[X] Choose 1 Genemod:
--[X] Miraluka: Your own species, able to see through the Force despite a lack of eyes. The Arkanians have admitted that they're not entirely sure what will happen if that mod is used due to the species' natural connection with the Force. (Lore, ???)

Rolled: 61 + 25 (Bonuses) + 20 (Omakes) = 105 (Over 100 Success)

As Asajj woke up from the procedure she winced in pain as her eyes started to ache, only to realize that she was still able to perceive the room around her with only a slight decrease in clarity even with her eyelids shut.

"What...what did you do?" she asked a nearby doctor.

"I do not follow."

"My eyes...what did-"

"Oh yes, those," he said, pulling up a mirror and letting Asajj see that they had ever so slightly paled in color. "It would seem that the Miraluka mod has gone over quite well seeing as how you still have regular vision...you do, correct?"

"Yes..."

"Wonderful. We're glad to see that Ciaran's biosamples were so effective in that regard; our hypothesis that her partial Human DNA would prevent significant ocular atrophy seems to have been correct."

"...Oh no, no, nonononono-"

Reward: Asajj gains "Miraluka Genemod" and "Lesser Miralukan Force Sight" traits

[X] Cheriss Sair - Experimental Frame Development: With her newfound mastery of mechu-deru, Cheriss has requested time and materials for use on developing an "ideal" frame for herself as she put it. She's also noted that in the process of building said frame she's going to be testing highly experimental technology. (Uses Learning Bonuses, Cheriss Sair must be assigned to this action if chosen) Chance of Success: 50% Cost: 200 Reward: Cheriss continues R&D on her frame, ???

Rolled: 59 + 20 (Bonuses) + 26 (Cheriss) + 20 (Omakes) = 125 (Super Critical Success)

Uh...that turned out to be a thing... (To be continued in Breakthrough)

[X] Asajj Ventress - Journeys Of An Exile: Fact of the matter is that you just don't have time to go contact every Force sect in the galaxy to speak with them or learn their techniques or whatever. In light of this Asajj has volunteered to go visit some of the groups...though while she'd never say it outright she'd like to be able to gain practical knowledge (usually involving new ways to kill things with her mind) from whoever she visits or at least not have to go through hours of scholarly discussion to gain their trust. Odds are any kind of "scholarly discussion" involving Asajj wouldn't work anyway knowing her... (Uses Diplomacy Bonuses, Asajj Ventress must be assigned to this action if chosen) Chance of Success: 60% Reward: Asajj contacts designated group, ???
-[X] Blackguard: An organization of Force users based out of Mustafar; they are similar to the Watchers in that they absorb techniques from other Force sects into their own. Given what little you have to go on, Asajj believes that they could easily be made allies and possibly even integrated into the Watchers since they already seem to embrace a similar mentality.

Rolled: 60 + 5 (Bonuses) + 19 (Asajj) + 20 (Omakes) = 104 (Over 100 Success)

Asajj came back from her trip to Mustafar with a smirk on her face that told you everything you had needed to know.

Her trip to the Blackguard had gone over very well, with their leader "The Kursk" quickly accepting Asajj's presence and status as an ambassador of sorts. When she had told them of your Agent program and how they operated with similar principles to the Blackguard in general, they were eager to see what resulted from your unique methods of training. Which is why you now have a number of Blackguard members at the Home overseeing the training in question to see the trials for themselves and occasionally assisting them with learning some more complex techniques.

With some prodding from Asajj and her sharing some of the Matukai manuals you helped develop as a sign of good will they've also agreed to a joint collaboration to help research various Force techniques across the galaxy for the purposes of integrating them into their order and your Agents.

You're quite impressed, as you admitted to a nearly insufferable Asajj after the fact. She didn't say anything, but it was clear she was enjoying lording her success over you...probably as revenge for the Matukai thing admittedly...

Rewards: Diplomatic ties with Blackguard gained, increased Apprentice and Agent promotion rates due to Blackguard trainers now present at the Home, chance for Blackguard to recover information on Force Orders per turn

[X] Jango Fett - Those Who Do Not Exist: When the clone army was in development Jango gathered what he referred to as the Cuy'val Dar - "Those Who Do Not Exist." The majority of them barring a few such as Skirata have returned to their lives as mercenaries. Given enough time and resources, Jango firmly believes that he could rally them again as their Mand'alor, giving you an extremely potent force to work with. (Uses Diplomacy Bonuses, Jango Fett must be assigned to this action if chosen) Chance of Success: 60% Cost: 100 Reward: Cuy'val Dar reunited, ???

Rolled: 32 + 5 (Bonuses) + 24 (Jango) + 20 (Omakes) = 81 (Success)

With the men Jango brought back...you're now appreciating just how much pull Jango really has... (To be continued in Brothers In Arms Once Again)

3 Watcher Teams died to bring you this update.

AN: Woooo, fast updates! Hopefully that will keep being a thing! Front page updates maybe not as quick because I need a break.

(For the record, Vandalor still died on Metalorn, but all things considered I doubt the Silencer even noticed in the middle of his rampage.)

Right, aside from all of the nonsense that happened this turn I have something important to point out: I need a portrait for Taly. He doesn't have anything official, so I'm calling on the thread to pick out something that will suit him.

Anyway, enjoy~

(I just realized that The Metalorn Heist would make for an amazing game - or at least a few levels of one)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Operation ultra roll should be 69 not 79 since 32+15+20+2 is 69 not 79
@Dr. Snark
 
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(Omake) What's for Dinner? (Canon)
  • Threadmarks
    • What's for Dinner?​


    Count Dooku pondered the galactic map before him, scowling as he saw the Separatist line being slowly eroded by the republic's advances. Acceptable losses. War torn planets with no value to the CIS war machine. The value of droids making itself evident. Of course, that meant the loss of a planet containing actual resources or factories was felt twice as strongly. Wat Tambor's fervor for the Separatist Alliance was valuable, but his ill fate plan for anti-Jedi droids was a complete catastrophe. It would be a minor miracle if the head of the Techno Union still survived after the nightmare that had befallen his cortosis droid factory.

    Other than his fellow council member's mishap, the losses sustained due to the war were easily shouldered. It was their losses to peace that were bleeding the CIS dry. Numerous systems which had previously chosen the Separatist Alliance due to grievances with the Republic or the choices of their surrounding systems now had an out. Neutrality. Forget winning the war. If the war wanted to even continue in any capacity, something would have to be done about the CNS.

    "Excuse me, Count Dooku?" The Count of Serenno didn't bother turning to acknowledge the battle droid that had interrupted his contemplation.

    "You have something to report?"

    "Yes sir. I have a message from Lady Ciaran." Dooku had been expecting this, though not so soon. Little matter.

    "Go on." commanded Dooku.

    "She gratefully accepts your invitation and looks forward to catching up, sir." reported the droid in its tinny voice.

    "I'm not surprised she declined consid-" Dooku cut himself off as the droid's words finally registered. "…she accepted my invitation?"

    "Yes sir."

    Dooku mentally berated himself. He had expected Lady Ciaran to do the reasonable thing and decline the offer. Or at least try to negotiate it into neutral space. That was his mistake. Expecting Ciaran to behave in an expectable manner. It wouldn't surprise him to learn that she had decided to accept solely to catch him off guard, ignoring the fact that this meeting was very possibly a trap to remove her from the board.

    "She also asks what will be prepared for the dinner." continued the droid.

    Dooku's blood ran cold, and any doubt he had that Ciaran knew exactly what she was doing faded. He had fully expected Ciaran to negotiate their meeting onto more favorable territory, if not reject the offer outright. He hadn't actually put any thought at all into the what would be served at the dinner he had invited her to. And he couldn't take any half measures with Ciaran either. Something he threw together in an afternoon would by mocked for its poor quality. A meal that she deemed too fancy would have him mocked for trying too hard.

    There was a butter zone though. He just had to find it. Thoughts of the war faded as the Count's mind turned to food and drink. Heklu was a shoe in for the main course. Fancy, but not exclusive, and Ciaran would no doubt appreciate the banter she could derive from being served food that she had no doubt seen profit from. Appetizers, desserts, and drinks were more difficult though.

    Ryshcate was an option for dessert. Their meeting would certainly be a special occasion, as per the Correllian dish's original purpose. Though whether it was one worth celebrating would depend on how things went once they had actually met. Perhaps he could have it prepared if things went well and brought out afterwards. He'd have a simpler puff cake in reserve if things didn't turn out as well as he hoped. And if things truly went south, he might not need either.

    Now that his mind was focused on the meal, things came to mind easier. Traladon goulash and Berbersian crab salad would be a refined, inoffensive opening dish. Ciaran would likely find fault with some minor detail, but such was her nature. Even if the goulash wasn't some incredibly specific temperature she would know it was because she was searching for something to tease him about instead of any actual slight.

    Beverages were more complicated however. She might appreciate and be set at ease by something alcoholic, but Ciaran might also suspect him of trying to get her drunk and manipulate her. Then again, she was coming to the dinner at all, which didn't speak highly of her opinion of his ability to set traps and manipulate her. He could have caprese martinis made if he wanted to appeal to the high end aspects of the noblewoman's taste. But Ciaran may well be in the mood for something more casual if she were treating him as an old friend. Dooku wouldn't if he were her, but Ciaran was a breed all her own, so it didn't really matter what he'd do.

    In the end, he decided to play to his image as a refined nobleman and order some charde. Expensive, but this was one meeting Dooku refused to let go poorly simply because he felt stingy when composing the menu. Count Dooku jotted down the dishes he wanted prepared and sent a droid off with the order to have them brought to his palace on Serenno. With that minor debacle taken care of, he turned his attention once more to the state of galactic war. A far less stressful endeavor if one were to ask him.


    AN: Seriously, Dooku can't have been expecting us to actually accept, right?
     
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    • i just, i fucking love dooku in that. that was amazing.
    (im sorry but i just freaking love dooku as a character, he is one of the only sith that we know of that isnt baby eating evil and its great.)
     
    Count Dooku fervently believing that analysing a galactic civil war is less stressful than dealing with having CIaran over for dinner? Sounds about right!
     
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