Turn 27 Results (Pt. 2)
Dr. Snark
Exactly As Planned...Probably
- Location
- Right where I want to be
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
The Home
In the heart of Vectivus' Home, one of the most secretive locations in the Abyss Watchers and the galaxy as a whole, Ciaran was grumbling to herself as she faced her most dreaded of adversaries:
Bureaucracy.
"Oh no, Ciaran, it was a great idea to have all these official forms and things for the Agents," she said to herself as she furiously typed away. "Come on, what are the odds that you'd have some random guy turn out to be a perfect fit for the Abysswalker position without formal Agent training? The odds of that have to be astronomical, which is good, otherwise you'd be burying yourself in forms just to get the guy formal recognition WHY DID I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA-"
"Lady Ciaran?"
"GAH!" Ciaran yelped in shock as she faced the intrusive phantom of Vectivus. "Do you mind!? I'm in the middle of incredibly-"
"Number Two."
"Sirs," the stoic man said as he entered the room with a datapad. "All necessary documentation to promote Riphath Althean to the status of Abysswalker due to 'extraordinary circumstances.' Sirs."
Ciaran looked at him, groaned, yanked the datapad out of his hands, then sank down in her seat. "Could you have gotten him to do that a bit sooner?"
"I was only aware of the issue when you started screaming about it a short while ago," the phantom replied. "At any rate, since you are here-"
"Finances meeting?"
"I assumed you'd rather talk about profits and things related to it than bureaucracy."
Ciaran was silent for a moment. "Well...you're right. I don't know what else to tell you."
Sullust Facility
"You know what's nice about Sullust?"
"Given the toxic atmosphere, unstable surface, and magma flows across the planet, no, I can't say I do."
"...Erm. I was going to say something witty but that response killed any response I could think of."
"Just be happy that the Sullustans were smart enough to decide to live underground. I imagine it's far more comfortable down there."
"It is. The new facility is in scenic SoroSuub Central surrounded by beautiful cave walls and more cave walls."
"I must admit it says something about SoroSuub's presence that the planet's capital is also their main headquarters. Does that sound familiar to you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about at all. No sir."
Reward: Facility on Sullust
Arkania Facility
"So how did purchasing that facility on Arkania go?"
"...Well enough. There was only some evidence of some abortive experiments there."
"Do tell. I have to admit I'm legitimately curious as to what you were told to 'ignore.'"
"Let's see, they told me that some of the stains on the walls were from a liquid used in some bio-titan...thing they tried to do that apparently went very wrong - and in case you're wondering no there's nothing left on the computers there about that. Um, what else...also they told me that if I found any former staff members turned into some gelatin-esque substance while my people were moving in that it wasn't an issue but I should still hand over the bodies to Adascorp. Was there anything else...?"
"I think that says enough about the Arkanians as it is."
Reward: Facility on Arkania
Tibannopolis Reoccupation
"You'll have to bring me up to speed on Tibannopolis, it was built after my time."
"Basically the idea was that it was supposed to compete with its sister platform Cloud City, but apparently it was mismanaged badly enough that it was abandoned after its completion. Naturally I took that as a challenge and an opportunity to get direct control over a source of Tibanna gas."
"Reasonable enough."
"Yes, but...weeeeell there was a slight complication when we bought it out. Turned out that we had...squatters."
"What, a few thugs?"
"Try a Jedi sect using the platform as a base."
"You're joking."
"Nope. Fortunately the auditing team was smart enough to not try and boot them off, so for right now they're being...tolerated is the accurate word but it honestly sounds too harsh. It's more like benign neglect: we don't ask questions, and they don't mess with us as we move in."
"I can't say I'm certain that will last. Jedi have an uncanny ability to find injustice or what they perceive as injustice when given the chance."
"Good thing then from what I understand this group is a bit more...lax than the Order. They're still 'noble defenders of peace' and all that junk but apparently they disagree with the Order's way of doing thing. And these days that makes them alright in my book."
"Because it makes them easier to work with and/or manipulate?"
"Yep!"
Reward: Tibannopolis reoccupied
Lorrd Property
"Lorrd is such a fascinating world. There is so much knowledge in the halls of the universities and academies that dot the planet...but of course I assume you're also interested in its strategic value."
"Guilty. Given that it's the closest major world to your Home I'm sure you understand why I want to keep a close eye on it. That being said I'd hardly be against looking into some of the local universities there to see if there are any talented individuals worth hiring."
Reward: Property on Lorrd
Coruscant (Uscru Investments, All Planets Market, Underworld Takeover, Corusca Intelligencer, Undercity Healthcare)
"It's good that you're starting to use mass media more directly. Even if it is a small voice in a sea of pro-Palpatine media it's still worth something."
"Well if I have my way it's going to be a lot bigger than a 'small voice,' but that's at least a few months off. One thing's for sure it'll let me push things into the public conscience more easily."
"A valuable tool to be sure. I can't say I have much to say about your investments into the Uscru District or the All Planets Market so let's speak of the parts of Coruscant people don't want to mention."
"Providing healthcare and having it be tax-free is the best thing I could hope for. Maybe call it sympathy because I know how bad it can get down there, but I'm still making money. As for my ah...gentrification programs the fact of the matter is that a lot of Guardians and Seekers come from the places like the Undercity because they have nowhere else to go. I get more men, and a lot more space on the planet where people don't want to look. Win-win."
Rewards: +75 investment income, +75 trade income, Guardian/Seeker recruitment rate increase, potential for further development in owned areas, +25 Investment income, Abyss Watchers-owned media outlet set up on Coruscant, +75 Silver Cross Income
Kalee (Tradeport, Benelex Expansion)
"Do you think having more Kaleesh on staff will give the House Benelex a more...aggressive reputation?"
"It'll be fine."
"Right. Trade is a logical step at this point...speaking of which, how are your investments in the farming and industry areas going?"
"They're definitely starting to grow quite a bit, and I'm positive they'll pay for themselves very shortly."
Rewards: +50 trade income, +50 Investment income, income from Farming investments increases to +50, income from Industry investments increases to +75
Mandalore (Aegis Security Facility, Karada Facility)
"Okay I'm going to level with you, I'm not providing security so much as getting paid to ship Mandalorians elsewhere in the sector."
"I can certainly see the logic behind that, and of course it gives you an excuse to set up patrols around your mansion. As for the Karada facility I take it no one's noticed Skirata 'borrowing' a few more of your 'unique' products?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Karada has absolutely no affiliation with any such individuals whatsoever, and the records will prove it."
Rewards: +25 income, defenses established, +50 income from Karada sales, medical supplies for Clan Skirata
Lordran, Kiln (Personal Retreat, Basic Droid Factory, OOM Droid Factory, Single-Trooper Aerial Platform Factory, Vulture-class Droid Starfighter Factory, C-9979 Landing Craft Slipways)
"I take it you wanted more disposable troops for the Foundry attacks."
"Well...yes there's that, the vulture droids will be a great asset for the Oracle Fleet, and the Landers have been proven to work very well in tandem with Lucerhulks."
"Of course. However, I was wondering if you were going to mention your pet project."
"Okay, I've been putting it off for a while but I've always wanted to have my own personal fortress/palace that I can stay at. I think the bright colors, high ceilings, temple-like architecture, and the fact that it's now the largest building on the planet make it quite-"
"That, while impressive, wasn't what I was referring to. That small island out in the middle of Lordran's oceans was what really intrigued me. It seemed so...quaint for someone like you. Practically isolated with only a small forest and a large rock pinnacle, barely any room on it save for a few people...and then there's the buildings. From what the records Number Two showed me all that's there is a cabin, a library at the center of the island, a very archaic clock tower to the south, an equally archaic observatory-"
"I get it."
"Why something so humble?"
"...It's quiet. Honestly it's nice to know there's somewhere in the galaxy where I can just be alone for a little while and just relax. I doubt I'll go there before this Palpatine business is all over - too much happening practically every second right now - but it's nice to know it exists for just me. Speaking of which: do not tell anyone about it."
"Not a word."
Rewards: Personal Retreat built, +2 groups of basic B1 battle droids per turn, +2 groups of OOM battle droids per turn, +2 groups of STAPs per turn, +1 group of Vulture Droids per turn, +1 C-9979 Landers per turn
La'Sombra (Defense Grid, Svivreni Material Research Facilities)
"Finally got proper defenses set up and the Svivreni are going to be such a big help for our materials research. Not much more to say besides that."
Rewards: Defenses for base established, Significantly Decreased research times for current/future anomalous/rare materials research
Nar Shaddaa (Expanded Smugglers Den, Undercity Investment, Karada Medcenters, Versuch Labs, Boltholes, Serv-O-Droid Expansion)
"It's honestly kind of sad that the Hutts never understood how much money you could make simply by working with the poor and disenfranchised more closely."
"But you aren't complaining."
"Nope."
"Speaking of the masses I must admit that setting up boltholes on Nar Shaddaa is unquestionably a wise decision. I visited the moon a few times in my life and it is borderline impossible to sense any particular Force presences there."
"Coruscant's a lot like that too once you reach its Undercity but obviously it's nice to have someplace to hide that isn't directly under Palpatine's nose."
Rewards: +50 Smuggling Income, 30% boost to Nar Shaddaa income, +50 Karada income, +100 Investment income, Boltholes set up across Nar Shaddaa, +25 investment income
Castell (Gossam Militia Investments, Castell Academy Investments)
"Finally committing to your coup?"
"Yep, and I have even more unofficial support than before! It's just great. I'm going to enjoy seeing Shu Mai's reaction when her precious commandos turn on her..."
"'If.' Not 'when.' Be reasonable."
"Let me dream."
Rewards: Gossam Commandos more likely to support you, potential increase in Underworld Rumors, increased promotion rates for all Abyss Watcher military squads barring Force users, Gossam Commandos more likely to survive and more likely to support you
Muunilist (Muun Auditors)
"Would you believe me if I told you some of my own financial advisors were Muuns?"
"Can't say I'm surprised. I showed a balance sheet to one of the auditors and...well...I don't want to talk about it."
"I imagine his lectures were far more detailed than my own."
"...Yes they were...why...why did I think that was a good idea..."
Reward: +75 Investment income, increased information on financial matters across the galaxy
Vectivus' Home (Defense Grid)
"The new defenses are properly camouflaged I hope."
"Buried into asteroids around this place and I've got a few ships in deep space ready to jump in just in case. It's a thankless job, but now I know for sure that this place is safe."
"As do I."
Reward: Defenses for base established
Kashyyyk (Ithorian Botanical Garden and Nursery, Sienar Expansion)
"Do you really think the Ithorians can actually grow those titanic trees on worlds other than Kashyyyk?"
"They're paying to get samples, I don't really care if they can actually pull anything off with those, honestly. That sort of reminds me that I should tell Raith 'you're welcome' for giving him the chance to tap a few Wookiee engineers on the shoulder for recruitment."
Rewards: +50 investment income, +25 investment income
Taris (Promised Land Skyway Lanes, Orbital Drydocks, Mercy Medcenter Expansion, Planetary Shield, Svivreni Mines, Black Market Control, Ojoster Intelligencer, Aegis Security Expansion)
"At least now you have actual defenses in place between the military expansion and the new shields, so my usual complaints are not worth bringing up."
"Told you I had plans for that."
"Right...anyway in all sincerity at least this round of investment has sound logic to it; setting up on-site supplies of raw materials, a better ability for the planet to service a military fleet, a news outlet that will effectively let you control the public consciousness if you wish..."
"As if I don't already."
"...A fair point. As for the nekghouls it's good to see that they haven't been driving off people from establishing the new skyway lanes."
"Credit where credit's due, Zinnerman's also been doing a good job at assuring the people that these aren't rakghouls and are in fact citizens of Taris. If very intimidating ones who don't like it when people are on their property."
"It helps that he managed to get coherent testimonies out of a few of them."
Rewards: Mass transit to Promised Land possible, nekghouls able to be fully integrated into Taris...at least economically, +100 Investment income, ability for Taris to handle ship repairs, +100 Karada income, ability to operate Karada from Taris, Planetary shields set up for Taris, +75 Investment income, Taris gains on-site source of raw materials, +50 black market income, +25 Investment income, Abyss Watcher-controlled media set up on Taris, +50 Security income
Naboo (Naboo Moon Mining Guild Investments, Borvo's Black Market (Naboo & Rori))
"Funny, Uncle Borvo was almost sad when I told him I'd be buying out some of his old market contacts on Naboo."
"Borvo always has surprised me with how reasonable and empathetic he is...at least in comparison to other Hutts."
"Well, where did you think I got the 'Uncle' idea from? Anyway there's that and the new Mining Guild investments I've made which for once are very public. 'Lady Ciaran takes a stand against slavery!' ...Of course I did have to place a few calls to the Hutt Clans to reassure them but they seemed to understand what I was trying to do there."
Rewards: +50 income from Mining Guild investments, good PR against slavers, +50 smuggling income, +50 smuggling income
Cato Nemodia (Karada Medcenter, Rush Clovis' Factory)
"Heheheheheh."
"You done?"
"Heheh. Okay now I am. Forgive me, usually I don't have the chance to profit off of others' misfortunes this directly and I'm enjoying the feeling of it. And before you say anything yes I know I shouldn't indulge too much, but I can indulge a little, right?"
"As long as it is in moderation."
"Right. Anyway, I now have a perfectly functional droid factory that already has production lines for OOM and B2 droids and there's nothing stopping me from adding on others aaaannnddd for all anyone knows CIS-affiliated droids are being stored there. I have high productivity, expansion capability, and deniability all in one package! It's great!"
Rewards: +50 Karada income, Clovis' factory taken over and reactivated, +3 OOM Battle Droid Units and +3 B2 Battle Droid Units per turn (Cap 15)
Ord Mantell (Smuggler's Den, Fort Garnik Depot, Conference Center)
"I already know Ord Mantell is a shadowport. So let's talk about your military endeavors there."
"Fort Garnik was an old ORD that was active around the Great Galactic War era that helped handle logistics for a large part of the Northern Rim. Given that I want better logistics for the Northern Rim it only makes sense to reactivate it under CNS control."
"Was that legal by the way? It wouldn't surprise me if the fort was still under military jurisdiction."
"Surprisingly yes, it had been abandoned for decades, maybe centuries even. Besides it's not really a major military facility that the Republic would care about...not yet at least."
Rewards: +50 smuggling income, +50 military income, Fort Garnik reactivated with potential to expand capabilites, +50 smuggling income
Corellia (Aegis Security Facility, Dedicated Salvage Teams, Large-scale Wiretaps, Garm Bel Iblis's Militia Funding, Karada Medcenter)
"Aside from the usual investments which are barely worth talking about I'm curious as to this 'Bel Iblis Militia' that you've sent some funds to."
"Turns out when Garm supported Corellian neutrality he wanted to make sure it could stay neutral if some ships came knocking. So he rallied a bunch of Corellians into a militia that patrols the sector and protects them from pirates or potential CIS attacks."
"So you sent them enough funds to let them upscale to proper military-grade equipment-"
"With a few 'special bargains' from Incom no less. They're now as good as the rest of the Council 'defense forces' at this point and I've been able to get them better integrated too."
Rewards: +25 income, defenses established, +25 Salvage income, per turn roll for other benefits, +25 Information income, Bel Iblis' militia integrated into CNS fleet, increased security for Corellian space, +50 Karada income
Salvage Rolls
Coruscant: 48 (+25)
Nar Shaddaa: 49 (+25)
Taris: 27 (+25)
Space: 79 (+75)
Ord Mantell: 87 (+100)
Dantooine 1: 26
Dantooine 2: 13
Corellia: 93 (+100 & Event)
"A shame that nothing of value was recovered from Dantooine."
"Well, I'd say the new Corellian team more than made up for it. Did you see what they managed to find?"
"Some...unusual chamber if the reports I read were accurate."
"They were. And they still have no idea what it is they really found. Does any Sith artifact resemble six small cones surrounding a large one, about 30-ish meters tall?"
"Hm...none that I can think of."
"Well then that raises more questions because the basic scans the teams ran indicate that the room in question is very old. If the Sith didn't put it together then who did...?"
the Ones
"But why?"
"Lady Ciaran?"
"Sorry, just thinking to myself."
"You realize you don't have to hide anything from me."
"I know, but...it's strange. Maybe it's just me being selfish but I feel like this is something I need to figure out myself."
"I understand. Very well then, that is all I have to speak to you about. If you need me...well you know where to find me."
"Wait, before you go - you have heard about Cheriss' advancements in frame development, right?"
"Indeed. It is quite astonishing."
"Do you think you could...I don't know, 'possess' one built for you?"
"Hm...I would err towards 'no,' mainly because if it were possible every Sith Lord that ever lived would have tried to do something like that. Honestly Lady Ciaran it takes far more effort on my part than you realize just to keep sustaining myself within the Home, and to attach myself to a droid would likely be too much for me. It may be possible, but I would not know where to start unfortunately."
"Blast...well maybe you could re-bind yourself to another location? The Chu'unthor might work."
"...The beauty of the irony of a Sith Lord taking up residence in a Jedi vessel is not lost on me, but I do not think that would work either. One of the main reasons I am able to sustain myself here at the Home is due to the fact that it is a Force Nexus, meaning that I can draw on the energy within it to help sustain my presence. If I were to try and leave, I would likely vanish entirely. Perhaps if I had only died a few years ago it might have been possible but it has been centuries since my physical body died. Now it simply takes too much effort to sustain myself here for me to go elsewhere."
"Could a phantom possess it?"
"...Perhaps with enough time and study it could be possible, but it would ultimately be pointless. If you yourself were to create a phantom of me for example it wouldn't truly be 'me.' It would be a replica of me, and while it may be able to act as though it were me to some extent it would ultimately only be an extension of whoever created it."
"I see."
"Forgive me if I came across as harsh there - I do appreciate you keeping your promise in mind."
"Thanks. Anyway, on a kind of related note, need to ask Cheriss about the technological investments I've been making."
"Very well then. As I said, you know where to find me."
Corellia (Nerfworks), Muunilist (Phlut Deign Systems Investments)
"Cheriss! Cheriss I know you're there-"
"Ohhisorrywasworkingwiththespiderdroids-"
"Unit 5 continues to request additional oil baths."
"Unit 8 requests that Unit 5 stop making irrelevant requests to Chief Engineer Sair."
"I see...good work on those by the way. I'm still impressed that you managed to create a self-improvement program that worked so well."
"Ahahahaha yes it was a lot of VERY difficult work ANYWAY you wanted something?"
"Your opinion on the Phlut and Nerfworks projects."
"Riiight. Okay, so the Phlut IG line is really impressive - they're nowhere near HK-47's level but they much easier to mass produce. Apparently the Lancer variant they were using a while back did a lot of damage to Republic armor during the Battle of Muunilist honestly I had no idea how given that they were using what were basically tougher lances but now that I look at it it makes sense with the alloys in them-"
"Cheriss."
"Oh, sorry, was getting too technical. Anyway, the point is with a bit of work I think I can keep their effectiveness as anti-armor units while also giving them better combat abilities on foot. It's going to be a bit expensive but-"
"I can cover it."
"Yeah! Anyway the Nerfworks thing. That...that's really something right there."
"Think any of those droid ship designs can be useful to us?"
"Huh? Oh right right yes. Maybe. Possibly. I've already gotten my hands on blueprints for their monitor and freighter ships and a bunch of other things and they're really impressive though really at the end of the day they're only as good as the droid brains in them and the ones I've seen could really use some improvements but I can handle those if you really wanted me to. But uh...there was one other thing I reaaaaally don't think I was supposed to see..."
"Benefits of working with me Cheriss. What was it?"
"The 'Crusader XX-777' project - an escort frigate design of some kind by the looks of it. Apparently they put in a very old military droid brain into the ship to bypass the need for tests and so on, but it ended up being destroyed...I think. The records that I am NOT supposed to have were a bit...uh...inconsistent when it came to the ship being actually destroyed. That and I had some people do some digging and there have been scattered reports of a ship matching the Crusader's description in the galaxy so I'm pretty sure it's still functional and operating on it's own. That's kind of amazing, isn't it?"
"And?"
"Aaaaannnd while the project went wrong it did give me some ideas. You remember the thing I was talking about when you came by?"
"How could I forget."
"Right well I realized that to handle the range of motion that I'm going to need out of it I'd have to implement a very efficient droid brain but I was originally planning to just have it support the pilot but now I'm thinking that it could work in closer tandem with them by - well I haven't gotten that far yet but I think I'm on to something there. It'd be more difficult to put together but I think it would realllly pay off in the long run."
"Right."
"Anyway most of these are already on the open market so producing them ourselves...well we could do it but really the only change we'd make is having different droid brains installed. If you're wondering about the Crusader I could put together a droid brain for that and we could put together a slipway over Lordran for them but aside from that starship design isn't really my thing. Maybe ask Raith and see if he has any better ideas?"
"Not a bad idea. Thanks for the report Cheriss."
Rewards: +25 income, access to IG droid schematics, potential for future upgrades, +50 Investment income, access to Nerfworks designs
"Right then. Next-"
"Lady Ciaran?"
"Uggh...Thrawn, why did you bring a ysalamiri in here? More importantly how are you already he - wait you were handing over those orders to Asajj right?"
"Yes. She will be on her way to Coruscant shortly."
"'Shortly?' ...Dammit, what did she do?"
"Apparently she was venting her frustrations on one of your Abysswalkers to-be. He is still alive albeit rather...singed."
"......Did you tell her about...that?"
"I believe it is something you should do."
"...I hate that you're right. Anyway. Those issues aside, how did your fleet project work out?"
Oracle ('Grand Fleet' Initiative)
"Quite splendidly. As you can see the Oracle Fleet now consists of modernized, military-grade equipment across the board. The fighter compliment now consists of a combination of Headhunters and Y-Wings for a mixture of anti-fighter and anti-capital combat. In addition with the help of some 'unofficial' contacts at the Kuat Drive Yards and some assistance from Raith I was able to track down a number of military ships that were meant to be scrapped for whatever reason but were relatively intact, allowing their integration into the fleet. On a more legal front I was able to purchase a number of Corellian ships for the fleet that should do an excellent job at anti-fighter defense, as well as a number of other ships that were on the market and could easily be brought up to par with the rest of the fleet. Sadly we were not able to get any larger ships in comparison to the Oracle itself or the Invisible Hand as purchasing a significant amount of the larger ships would have been too obvious at present."
"So all in all what do you think?"
"If the new fleet is forced into an engagement with any Republic or Separatist strike force they would be able to hold their own at the very least. At most given a good commander they can win an engagement, especially given the state of the Oracle at present."
"That sounds good to me by any stretch."
Reward: Oracle Fleet upgraded to military-grade, increased chances of success for Martial actions in space
"Right. That's all, thank you and please get your pet Force-repelling lizard away from me. I think I'm starting to feel my head spin a bit..."
"You seem like you are in a hurry. Is there something you need to do soon?"
"Yes. It'll be after I induct the new Walkers of course, but it's very important. Very secret."
"What could it possibly be that requires your attention?"
----------
The Emerald Dream, Taris Orbit
Space Curling Arena
"Space curling!~"
"You're serious. This is an actual thing people do," Padme muttered to herself in disbelief as she sat in a chair across from Ciaran, staring in disbelief at the arena in front of her and the readings indicating the ship's tractor beam was holding onto a small asteroid. "You know I thought this was some overly long practical joke you were playing up until now. How - why - who?"
"Funny thing you should ask, apparently your boyfriend started the idea by throwing rocks at a space station," Ciaran said coyly.
"...That does sound like him," Padme muttered in slight resignation, and to Ciaran's interest/amusement she didn't deny anything nor did she ask for clarification about who Ciaran was referring to with the 'boyfriend' comment. Shaking her head Padme gripped the co-pilot's controls after Ciaran had handed control over to her. "Okay, so uh...the rocks do eventually stop, right? Because I really don't want to be in the news as the Senator who accidentally dropped an asteroid on Taris."
"It's fine. There's a bunch of gravity things there. It'll be fine."
"Alright..." Padme said to herself before she sent the Emerald Dream charging forwards towards the buoys that designated the throwing line. Just before the ship reached it Padme forced it to slam to a halt, disengaging the tractor beam and letting the rock the ship was towing fly forwards until it eventually...ended up close to the point where it would have been out of bounds.
"Not bad for a first throw," Ciaran said as she leaned back.
"I was never really that good at piloting so that's good enough for me."
"Right. So..." Ciaran grinned viciously. "You know I wanted to mention that you never asked who I was referring to when I said you had a boyfriend -" Padme's face began to color red as Ciaran said that, "- and I didn't hear any sort of denial either~"
"T-that...well...it's just a thing w-we're both...yes."
"Oh do te-"
Suddenly a loud tone came from the pilot's console and a red light winked on.
it begins
"Wha-"
"Priority message," Ciaran said worriedly. "I told my people specifically that they shouldn't call unless-"
The holoprojector came online, displaying the image of an obviously concerned Gulan. "Boss I - am I interrupting something?"
"No you're not Gulan."
"Do I know him?"
"Maybe, he is one of my closest employees. Padme, Gulan, Gulan, Padme, if you haven't. What is it?"
"The Jedi Temple's been bombed."
Both women went dead silent as the processed the gravity of that statement.
"You're serious," Padme said.
"Look on the Holonet if you need to, the news is spreading fast."
Ciaran and Padme shared a glance for a moment before Ciaran quickly reactivated the pilot's controls and began to move the ship away from Taris. "Thank you for letting me know, Gulan. Out."
As the image went out Padme strapped herself in. "How soon can we get there?"
"This is a vessel designed by Raith Sienar himself. We'll be there in a heartbeat," Ciaran said as the ship finished its calculations, sending the ship into hyperspace...
AN: It begins.
We're going to be going into a "mini-"arc here, because as it turns out all of the changes made to canon at this point (going all the way back to the Huk-Kaleesh War no less) have resulted in some very interesting situations that could have very far-reaching consequences depending on how things play out with that...
Aside from me finally kicking off The Thing, not too much else to comment on here, except that if you think the description of Ciaran's "actual" retreat sounds familiar, it should. Enjoy~
In the heart of Vectivus' Home, one of the most secretive locations in the Abyss Watchers and the galaxy as a whole, Ciaran was grumbling to herself as she faced her most dreaded of adversaries:
Bureaucracy.
"Oh no, Ciaran, it was a great idea to have all these official forms and things for the Agents," she said to herself as she furiously typed away. "Come on, what are the odds that you'd have some random guy turn out to be a perfect fit for the Abysswalker position without formal Agent training? The odds of that have to be astronomical, which is good, otherwise you'd be burying yourself in forms just to get the guy formal recognition WHY DID I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA-"
"Lady Ciaran?"
"GAH!" Ciaran yelped in shock as she faced the intrusive phantom of Vectivus. "Do you mind!? I'm in the middle of incredibly-"
"Number Two."
"Sirs," the stoic man said as he entered the room with a datapad. "All necessary documentation to promote Riphath Althean to the status of Abysswalker due to 'extraordinary circumstances.' Sirs."
Ciaran looked at him, groaned, yanked the datapad out of his hands, then sank down in her seat. "Could you have gotten him to do that a bit sooner?"
"I was only aware of the issue when you started screaming about it a short while ago," the phantom replied. "At any rate, since you are here-"
"Finances meeting?"
"I assumed you'd rather talk about profits and things related to it than bureaucracy."
Ciaran was silent for a moment. "Well...you're right. I don't know what else to tell you."
Sullust Facility
"You know what's nice about Sullust?"
"Given the toxic atmosphere, unstable surface, and magma flows across the planet, no, I can't say I do."
"...Erm. I was going to say something witty but that response killed any response I could think of."
"Just be happy that the Sullustans were smart enough to decide to live underground. I imagine it's far more comfortable down there."
"It is. The new facility is in scenic SoroSuub Central surrounded by beautiful cave walls and more cave walls."
"I must admit it says something about SoroSuub's presence that the planet's capital is also their main headquarters. Does that sound familiar to you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about at all. No sir."
Reward: Facility on Sullust
Arkania Facility
"So how did purchasing that facility on Arkania go?"
"...Well enough. There was only some evidence of some abortive experiments there."
"Do tell. I have to admit I'm legitimately curious as to what you were told to 'ignore.'"
"Let's see, they told me that some of the stains on the walls were from a liquid used in some bio-titan...thing they tried to do that apparently went very wrong - and in case you're wondering no there's nothing left on the computers there about that. Um, what else...also they told me that if I found any former staff members turned into some gelatin-esque substance while my people were moving in that it wasn't an issue but I should still hand over the bodies to Adascorp. Was there anything else...?"
"I think that says enough about the Arkanians as it is."
Reward: Facility on Arkania
Tibannopolis Reoccupation
"You'll have to bring me up to speed on Tibannopolis, it was built after my time."
"Basically the idea was that it was supposed to compete with its sister platform Cloud City, but apparently it was mismanaged badly enough that it was abandoned after its completion. Naturally I took that as a challenge and an opportunity to get direct control over a source of Tibanna gas."
"Reasonable enough."
"Yes, but...weeeeell there was a slight complication when we bought it out. Turned out that we had...squatters."
"What, a few thugs?"
"Try a Jedi sect using the platform as a base."
"You're joking."
"Nope. Fortunately the auditing team was smart enough to not try and boot them off, so for right now they're being...tolerated is the accurate word but it honestly sounds too harsh. It's more like benign neglect: we don't ask questions, and they don't mess with us as we move in."
"I can't say I'm certain that will last. Jedi have an uncanny ability to find injustice or what they perceive as injustice when given the chance."
"Good thing then from what I understand this group is a bit more...lax than the Order. They're still 'noble defenders of peace' and all that junk but apparently they disagree with the Order's way of doing thing. And these days that makes them alright in my book."
"Because it makes them easier to work with and/or manipulate?"
"Yep!"
Reward: Tibannopolis reoccupied
Lorrd Property
"Lorrd is such a fascinating world. There is so much knowledge in the halls of the universities and academies that dot the planet...but of course I assume you're also interested in its strategic value."
"Guilty. Given that it's the closest major world to your Home I'm sure you understand why I want to keep a close eye on it. That being said I'd hardly be against looking into some of the local universities there to see if there are any talented individuals worth hiring."
Reward: Property on Lorrd
Coruscant (Uscru Investments, All Planets Market, Underworld Takeover, Corusca Intelligencer, Undercity Healthcare)
"It's good that you're starting to use mass media more directly. Even if it is a small voice in a sea of pro-Palpatine media it's still worth something."
"Well if I have my way it's going to be a lot bigger than a 'small voice,' but that's at least a few months off. One thing's for sure it'll let me push things into the public conscience more easily."
"A valuable tool to be sure. I can't say I have much to say about your investments into the Uscru District or the All Planets Market so let's speak of the parts of Coruscant people don't want to mention."
"Providing healthcare and having it be tax-free is the best thing I could hope for. Maybe call it sympathy because I know how bad it can get down there, but I'm still making money. As for my ah...gentrification programs the fact of the matter is that a lot of Guardians and Seekers come from the places like the Undercity because they have nowhere else to go. I get more men, and a lot more space on the planet where people don't want to look. Win-win."
Rewards: +75 investment income, +75 trade income, Guardian/Seeker recruitment rate increase, potential for further development in owned areas, +25 Investment income, Abyss Watchers-owned media outlet set up on Coruscant, +75 Silver Cross Income
Kalee (Tradeport, Benelex Expansion)
"Do you think having more Kaleesh on staff will give the House Benelex a more...aggressive reputation?"
"It'll be fine."
"Right. Trade is a logical step at this point...speaking of which, how are your investments in the farming and industry areas going?"
"They're definitely starting to grow quite a bit, and I'm positive they'll pay for themselves very shortly."
Rewards: +50 trade income, +50 Investment income, income from Farming investments increases to +50, income from Industry investments increases to +75
Mandalore (Aegis Security Facility, Karada Facility)
"Okay I'm going to level with you, I'm not providing security so much as getting paid to ship Mandalorians elsewhere in the sector."
"I can certainly see the logic behind that, and of course it gives you an excuse to set up patrols around your mansion. As for the Karada facility I take it no one's noticed Skirata 'borrowing' a few more of your 'unique' products?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Karada has absolutely no affiliation with any such individuals whatsoever, and the records will prove it."
Rewards: +25 income, defenses established, +50 income from Karada sales, medical supplies for Clan Skirata
Lordran, Kiln (Personal Retreat, Basic Droid Factory, OOM Droid Factory, Single-Trooper Aerial Platform Factory, Vulture-class Droid Starfighter Factory, C-9979 Landing Craft Slipways)
"I take it you wanted more disposable troops for the Foundry attacks."
"Well...yes there's that, the vulture droids will be a great asset for the Oracle Fleet, and the Landers have been proven to work very well in tandem with Lucerhulks."
"Of course. However, I was wondering if you were going to mention your pet project."
"Okay, I've been putting it off for a while but I've always wanted to have my own personal fortress/palace that I can stay at. I think the bright colors, high ceilings, temple-like architecture, and the fact that it's now the largest building on the planet make it quite-"
"That, while impressive, wasn't what I was referring to. That small island out in the middle of Lordran's oceans was what really intrigued me. It seemed so...quaint for someone like you. Practically isolated with only a small forest and a large rock pinnacle, barely any room on it save for a few people...and then there's the buildings. From what the records Number Two showed me all that's there is a cabin, a library at the center of the island, a very archaic clock tower to the south, an equally archaic observatory-"
"I get it."
"Why something so humble?"
"...It's quiet. Honestly it's nice to know there's somewhere in the galaxy where I can just be alone for a little while and just relax. I doubt I'll go there before this Palpatine business is all over - too much happening practically every second right now - but it's nice to know it exists for just me. Speaking of which: do not tell anyone about it."
"Not a word."
Rewards: Personal Retreat built, +2 groups of basic B1 battle droids per turn, +2 groups of OOM battle droids per turn, +2 groups of STAPs per turn, +1 group of Vulture Droids per turn, +1 C-9979 Landers per turn
La'Sombra (Defense Grid, Svivreni Material Research Facilities)
"Finally got proper defenses set up and the Svivreni are going to be such a big help for our materials research. Not much more to say besides that."
Rewards: Defenses for base established, Significantly Decreased research times for current/future anomalous/rare materials research
Nar Shaddaa (Expanded Smugglers Den, Undercity Investment, Karada Medcenters, Versuch Labs, Boltholes, Serv-O-Droid Expansion)
"It's honestly kind of sad that the Hutts never understood how much money you could make simply by working with the poor and disenfranchised more closely."
"But you aren't complaining."
"Nope."
"Speaking of the masses I must admit that setting up boltholes on Nar Shaddaa is unquestionably a wise decision. I visited the moon a few times in my life and it is borderline impossible to sense any particular Force presences there."
"Coruscant's a lot like that too once you reach its Undercity but obviously it's nice to have someplace to hide that isn't directly under Palpatine's nose."
Rewards: +50 Smuggling Income, 30% boost to Nar Shaddaa income, +50 Karada income, +100 Investment income, Boltholes set up across Nar Shaddaa, +25 investment income
Castell (Gossam Militia Investments, Castell Academy Investments)
"Finally committing to your coup?"
"Yep, and I have even more unofficial support than before! It's just great. I'm going to enjoy seeing Shu Mai's reaction when her precious commandos turn on her..."
"'If.' Not 'when.' Be reasonable."
"Let me dream."
Rewards: Gossam Commandos more likely to support you, potential increase in Underworld Rumors, increased promotion rates for all Abyss Watcher military squads barring Force users, Gossam Commandos more likely to survive and more likely to support you
Muunilist (Muun Auditors)
"Would you believe me if I told you some of my own financial advisors were Muuns?"
"Can't say I'm surprised. I showed a balance sheet to one of the auditors and...well...I don't want to talk about it."
"I imagine his lectures were far more detailed than my own."
"...Yes they were...why...why did I think that was a good idea..."
Reward: +75 Investment income, increased information on financial matters across the galaxy
Vectivus' Home (Defense Grid)
"The new defenses are properly camouflaged I hope."
"Buried into asteroids around this place and I've got a few ships in deep space ready to jump in just in case. It's a thankless job, but now I know for sure that this place is safe."
"As do I."
Reward: Defenses for base established
Kashyyyk (Ithorian Botanical Garden and Nursery, Sienar Expansion)
"Do you really think the Ithorians can actually grow those titanic trees on worlds other than Kashyyyk?"
"They're paying to get samples, I don't really care if they can actually pull anything off with those, honestly. That sort of reminds me that I should tell Raith 'you're welcome' for giving him the chance to tap a few Wookiee engineers on the shoulder for recruitment."
Rewards: +50 investment income, +25 investment income
Taris (Promised Land Skyway Lanes, Orbital Drydocks, Mercy Medcenter Expansion, Planetary Shield, Svivreni Mines, Black Market Control, Ojoster Intelligencer, Aegis Security Expansion)
"At least now you have actual defenses in place between the military expansion and the new shields, so my usual complaints are not worth bringing up."
"Told you I had plans for that."
"Right...anyway in all sincerity at least this round of investment has sound logic to it; setting up on-site supplies of raw materials, a better ability for the planet to service a military fleet, a news outlet that will effectively let you control the public consciousness if you wish..."
"As if I don't already."
"...A fair point. As for the nekghouls it's good to see that they haven't been driving off people from establishing the new skyway lanes."
"Credit where credit's due, Zinnerman's also been doing a good job at assuring the people that these aren't rakghouls and are in fact citizens of Taris. If very intimidating ones who don't like it when people are on their property."
"It helps that he managed to get coherent testimonies out of a few of them."
Rewards: Mass transit to Promised Land possible, nekghouls able to be fully integrated into Taris...at least economically, +100 Investment income, ability for Taris to handle ship repairs, +100 Karada income, ability to operate Karada from Taris, Planetary shields set up for Taris, +75 Investment income, Taris gains on-site source of raw materials, +50 black market income, +25 Investment income, Abyss Watcher-controlled media set up on Taris, +50 Security income
Naboo (Naboo Moon Mining Guild Investments, Borvo's Black Market (Naboo & Rori))
"Funny, Uncle Borvo was almost sad when I told him I'd be buying out some of his old market contacts on Naboo."
"Borvo always has surprised me with how reasonable and empathetic he is...at least in comparison to other Hutts."
"Well, where did you think I got the 'Uncle' idea from? Anyway there's that and the new Mining Guild investments I've made which for once are very public. 'Lady Ciaran takes a stand against slavery!' ...Of course I did have to place a few calls to the Hutt Clans to reassure them but they seemed to understand what I was trying to do there."
Rewards: +50 income from Mining Guild investments, good PR against slavers, +50 smuggling income, +50 smuggling income
Cato Nemodia (Karada Medcenter, Rush Clovis' Factory)
"Heheheheheh."
"You done?"
"Heheh. Okay now I am. Forgive me, usually I don't have the chance to profit off of others' misfortunes this directly and I'm enjoying the feeling of it. And before you say anything yes I know I shouldn't indulge too much, but I can indulge a little, right?"
"As long as it is in moderation."
"Right. Anyway, I now have a perfectly functional droid factory that already has production lines for OOM and B2 droids and there's nothing stopping me from adding on others aaaannnddd for all anyone knows CIS-affiliated droids are being stored there. I have high productivity, expansion capability, and deniability all in one package! It's great!"
Rewards: +50 Karada income, Clovis' factory taken over and reactivated, +3 OOM Battle Droid Units and +3 B2 Battle Droid Units per turn (Cap 15)
Ord Mantell (Smuggler's Den, Fort Garnik Depot, Conference Center)
"I already know Ord Mantell is a shadowport. So let's talk about your military endeavors there."
"Fort Garnik was an old ORD that was active around the Great Galactic War era that helped handle logistics for a large part of the Northern Rim. Given that I want better logistics for the Northern Rim it only makes sense to reactivate it under CNS control."
"Was that legal by the way? It wouldn't surprise me if the fort was still under military jurisdiction."
"Surprisingly yes, it had been abandoned for decades, maybe centuries even. Besides it's not really a major military facility that the Republic would care about...not yet at least."
Rewards: +50 smuggling income, +50 military income, Fort Garnik reactivated with potential to expand capabilites, +50 smuggling income
Corellia (Aegis Security Facility, Dedicated Salvage Teams, Large-scale Wiretaps, Garm Bel Iblis's Militia Funding, Karada Medcenter)
"Aside from the usual investments which are barely worth talking about I'm curious as to this 'Bel Iblis Militia' that you've sent some funds to."
"Turns out when Garm supported Corellian neutrality he wanted to make sure it could stay neutral if some ships came knocking. So he rallied a bunch of Corellians into a militia that patrols the sector and protects them from pirates or potential CIS attacks."
"So you sent them enough funds to let them upscale to proper military-grade equipment-"
"With a few 'special bargains' from Incom no less. They're now as good as the rest of the Council 'defense forces' at this point and I've been able to get them better integrated too."
Rewards: +25 income, defenses established, +25 Salvage income, per turn roll for other benefits, +25 Information income, Bel Iblis' militia integrated into CNS fleet, increased security for Corellian space, +50 Karada income
Salvage Rolls
Coruscant: 48 (+25)
Nar Shaddaa: 49 (+25)
Taris: 27 (+25)
Space: 79 (+75)
Ord Mantell: 87 (+100)
Dantooine 1: 26
Dantooine 2: 13
Corellia: 93 (+100 & Event)
"A shame that nothing of value was recovered from Dantooine."
"Well, I'd say the new Corellian team more than made up for it. Did you see what they managed to find?"
"Some...unusual chamber if the reports I read were accurate."
"They were. And they still have no idea what it is they really found. Does any Sith artifact resemble six small cones surrounding a large one, about 30-ish meters tall?"
"Hm...none that I can think of."
"Well then that raises more questions because the basic scans the teams ran indicate that the room in question is very old. If the Sith didn't put it together then who did...?"
the Ones
"But why?"
"Lady Ciaran?"
"Sorry, just thinking to myself."
"You realize you don't have to hide anything from me."
"I know, but...it's strange. Maybe it's just me being selfish but I feel like this is something I need to figure out myself."
"I understand. Very well then, that is all I have to speak to you about. If you need me...well you know where to find me."
"Wait, before you go - you have heard about Cheriss' advancements in frame development, right?"
"Indeed. It is quite astonishing."
"Do you think you could...I don't know, 'possess' one built for you?"
"Hm...I would err towards 'no,' mainly because if it were possible every Sith Lord that ever lived would have tried to do something like that. Honestly Lady Ciaran it takes far more effort on my part than you realize just to keep sustaining myself within the Home, and to attach myself to a droid would likely be too much for me. It may be possible, but I would not know where to start unfortunately."
"Blast...well maybe you could re-bind yourself to another location? The Chu'unthor might work."
"...The beauty of the irony of a Sith Lord taking up residence in a Jedi vessel is not lost on me, but I do not think that would work either. One of the main reasons I am able to sustain myself here at the Home is due to the fact that it is a Force Nexus, meaning that I can draw on the energy within it to help sustain my presence. If I were to try and leave, I would likely vanish entirely. Perhaps if I had only died a few years ago it might have been possible but it has been centuries since my physical body died. Now it simply takes too much effort to sustain myself here for me to go elsewhere."
"Could a phantom possess it?"
"...Perhaps with enough time and study it could be possible, but it would ultimately be pointless. If you yourself were to create a phantom of me for example it wouldn't truly be 'me.' It would be a replica of me, and while it may be able to act as though it were me to some extent it would ultimately only be an extension of whoever created it."
"I see."
"Forgive me if I came across as harsh there - I do appreciate you keeping your promise in mind."
"Thanks. Anyway, on a kind of related note, need to ask Cheriss about the technological investments I've been making."
"Very well then. As I said, you know where to find me."
Corellia (Nerfworks), Muunilist (Phlut Deign Systems Investments)
"Cheriss! Cheriss I know you're there-"
"Ohhisorrywasworkingwiththespiderdroids-"
"Unit 5 continues to request additional oil baths."
"Unit 8 requests that Unit 5 stop making irrelevant requests to Chief Engineer Sair."
"I see...good work on those by the way. I'm still impressed that you managed to create a self-improvement program that worked so well."
"Ahahahaha yes it was a lot of VERY difficult work ANYWAY you wanted something?"
"Your opinion on the Phlut and Nerfworks projects."
"Riiight. Okay, so the Phlut IG line is really impressive - they're nowhere near HK-47's level but they much easier to mass produce. Apparently the Lancer variant they were using a while back did a lot of damage to Republic armor during the Battle of Muunilist honestly I had no idea how given that they were using what were basically tougher lances but now that I look at it it makes sense with the alloys in them-"
"Cheriss."
"Oh, sorry, was getting too technical. Anyway, the point is with a bit of work I think I can keep their effectiveness as anti-armor units while also giving them better combat abilities on foot. It's going to be a bit expensive but-"
"I can cover it."
"Yeah! Anyway the Nerfworks thing. That...that's really something right there."
"Think any of those droid ship designs can be useful to us?"
"Huh? Oh right right yes. Maybe. Possibly. I've already gotten my hands on blueprints for their monitor and freighter ships and a bunch of other things and they're really impressive though really at the end of the day they're only as good as the droid brains in them and the ones I've seen could really use some improvements but I can handle those if you really wanted me to. But uh...there was one other thing I reaaaaally don't think I was supposed to see..."
"Benefits of working with me Cheriss. What was it?"
"The 'Crusader XX-777' project - an escort frigate design of some kind by the looks of it. Apparently they put in a very old military droid brain into the ship to bypass the need for tests and so on, but it ended up being destroyed...I think. The records that I am NOT supposed to have were a bit...uh...inconsistent when it came to the ship being actually destroyed. That and I had some people do some digging and there have been scattered reports of a ship matching the Crusader's description in the galaxy so I'm pretty sure it's still functional and operating on it's own. That's kind of amazing, isn't it?"
"And?"
"Aaaaannnd while the project went wrong it did give me some ideas. You remember the thing I was talking about when you came by?"
"How could I forget."
"Right well I realized that to handle the range of motion that I'm going to need out of it I'd have to implement a very efficient droid brain but I was originally planning to just have it support the pilot but now I'm thinking that it could work in closer tandem with them by - well I haven't gotten that far yet but I think I'm on to something there. It'd be more difficult to put together but I think it would realllly pay off in the long run."
"Right."
"Anyway most of these are already on the open market so producing them ourselves...well we could do it but really the only change we'd make is having different droid brains installed. If you're wondering about the Crusader I could put together a droid brain for that and we could put together a slipway over Lordran for them but aside from that starship design isn't really my thing. Maybe ask Raith and see if he has any better ideas?"
"Not a bad idea. Thanks for the report Cheriss."
Rewards: +25 income, access to IG droid schematics, potential for future upgrades, +50 Investment income, access to Nerfworks designs
"Right then. Next-"
"Lady Ciaran?"
"Uggh...Thrawn, why did you bring a ysalamiri in here? More importantly how are you already he - wait you were handing over those orders to Asajj right?"
"Yes. She will be on her way to Coruscant shortly."
"'Shortly?' ...Dammit, what did she do?"
"Apparently she was venting her frustrations on one of your Abysswalkers to-be. He is still alive albeit rather...singed."
"......Did you tell her about...that?"
"I believe it is something you should do."
"...I hate that you're right. Anyway. Those issues aside, how did your fleet project work out?"
Oracle ('Grand Fleet' Initiative)
"Quite splendidly. As you can see the Oracle Fleet now consists of modernized, military-grade equipment across the board. The fighter compliment now consists of a combination of Headhunters and Y-Wings for a mixture of anti-fighter and anti-capital combat. In addition with the help of some 'unofficial' contacts at the Kuat Drive Yards and some assistance from Raith I was able to track down a number of military ships that were meant to be scrapped for whatever reason but were relatively intact, allowing their integration into the fleet. On a more legal front I was able to purchase a number of Corellian ships for the fleet that should do an excellent job at anti-fighter defense, as well as a number of other ships that were on the market and could easily be brought up to par with the rest of the fleet. Sadly we were not able to get any larger ships in comparison to the Oracle itself or the Invisible Hand as purchasing a significant amount of the larger ships would have been too obvious at present."
"So all in all what do you think?"
"If the new fleet is forced into an engagement with any Republic or Separatist strike force they would be able to hold their own at the very least. At most given a good commander they can win an engagement, especially given the state of the Oracle at present."
"That sounds good to me by any stretch."
Reward: Oracle Fleet upgraded to military-grade, increased chances of success for Martial actions in space
"Right. That's all, thank you and please get your pet Force-repelling lizard away from me. I think I'm starting to feel my head spin a bit..."
"You seem like you are in a hurry. Is there something you need to do soon?"
"Yes. It'll be after I induct the new Walkers of course, but it's very important. Very secret."
"What could it possibly be that requires your attention?"
----------
The Emerald Dream, Taris Orbit
Space Curling Arena
"Space curling!~"
"You're serious. This is an actual thing people do," Padme muttered to herself in disbelief as she sat in a chair across from Ciaran, staring in disbelief at the arena in front of her and the readings indicating the ship's tractor beam was holding onto a small asteroid. "You know I thought this was some overly long practical joke you were playing up until now. How - why - who?"
"Funny thing you should ask, apparently your boyfriend started the idea by throwing rocks at a space station," Ciaran said coyly.
"...That does sound like him," Padme muttered in slight resignation, and to Ciaran's interest/amusement she didn't deny anything nor did she ask for clarification about who Ciaran was referring to with the 'boyfriend' comment. Shaking her head Padme gripped the co-pilot's controls after Ciaran had handed control over to her. "Okay, so uh...the rocks do eventually stop, right? Because I really don't want to be in the news as the Senator who accidentally dropped an asteroid on Taris."
"It's fine. There's a bunch of gravity things there. It'll be fine."
"Alright..." Padme said to herself before she sent the Emerald Dream charging forwards towards the buoys that designated the throwing line. Just before the ship reached it Padme forced it to slam to a halt, disengaging the tractor beam and letting the rock the ship was towing fly forwards until it eventually...ended up close to the point where it would have been out of bounds.
"Not bad for a first throw," Ciaran said as she leaned back.
"I was never really that good at piloting so that's good enough for me."
"Right. So..." Ciaran grinned viciously. "You know I wanted to mention that you never asked who I was referring to when I said you had a boyfriend -" Padme's face began to color red as Ciaran said that, "- and I didn't hear any sort of denial either~"
"T-that...well...it's just a thing w-we're both...yes."
"Oh do te-"
Suddenly a loud tone came from the pilot's console and a red light winked on.
it begins
"Wha-"
"Priority message," Ciaran said worriedly. "I told my people specifically that they shouldn't call unless-"
The holoprojector came online, displaying the image of an obviously concerned Gulan. "Boss I - am I interrupting something?"
"No you're not Gulan."
"Do I know him?"
"Maybe, he is one of my closest employees. Padme, Gulan, Gulan, Padme, if you haven't. What is it?"
"The Jedi Temple's been bombed."
Both women went dead silent as the processed the gravity of that statement.
"You're serious," Padme said.
"Look on the Holonet if you need to, the news is spreading fast."
Ciaran and Padme shared a glance for a moment before Ciaran quickly reactivated the pilot's controls and began to move the ship away from Taris. "Thank you for letting me know, Gulan. Out."
As the image went out Padme strapped herself in. "How soon can we get there?"
"This is a vessel designed by Raith Sienar himself. We'll be there in a heartbeat," Ciaran said as the ship finished its calculations, sending the ship into hyperspace...
AN: It begins.
We're going to be going into a "mini-"arc here, because as it turns out all of the changes made to canon at this point (going all the way back to the Huk-Kaleesh War no less) have resulted in some very interesting situations that could have very far-reaching consequences depending on how things play out with that...
Aside from me finally kicking off The Thing, not too much else to comment on here, except that if you think the description of Ciaran's "actual" retreat sounds familiar, it should. Enjoy~
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