[CNS] HSD House Event Fiction: Leadership for Kel Rasha!

This is the official fiction for House Shar Dakhan during the event “Leadership for Kel Rasha” run from September 5th 2016 until October 9th 2016. Fictionally this is run in DJB year 34 ABY.

VSD Covenant
Bridge
In orbit above Aeotheran
34 ABY

“I do hope this goes according to plan,” Arik Shathis said with caution in his voice. The Mayor of Seng Karash knew how fickle the acting Governor could be at times. Hands clasped behind his back and holding a relaxed figure, the human looked towards the Quaestor with a raised eyebrow.

“Do not think I haven’t thought this through. The rewards far outweigh the risks for this particular plan. If he succeeds it means I will be able to keep a closer eye on him. Should he fail then he will feel discouraged and disgraced, again. Besides, I can have him executed at any time should it suit my purpose,” the Anzat said to the human as he looked the mayor straight in the eyes.

“Your shuttle back to Seng Karash is waiting for you, Mayor,” Darkblade said the words with clear intention that their meeting was over.

As Arik Shathis bowed and quickly left the bridge to head towards the hangar which housed his transport ship, Darkblade called out after him.

“Not a word to anyone, Arik. Or it will be your corpse spaced next. For real.”

The Mayor shivered at the idea and nodded curtly before exiting the bridge. As he made his way down the long corridors back to the shuttle that was prepared for him, he wondered if it had been a good idea to accept the title of Mayor even after the Dlarit Corporation had been taken over by the Orian Assembly. Coming into contact with such dangerous and deadly individuals had caused the politician to rethink his life choices on numerous occasions after every encounter. Yet the same feeling crept up inside of him every time.

Pride.

Arik knew he was making the best of the situation and this allowed the populace on Seng Karash to thrive like never before. He was their caretaker and protector, not the Dark Jedi who pretended to care. They had their own agenda’s and it was Arik’s business to prevent those agenda’s from hurting his people.

As Arik stepped into the turbolift which would bring him to his shuttle, he reminisced about events that had happened after Homeland. Crime had dropped to an almost non existent level and the city was enjoying the benefits of having a leader that cared about the city for once. Arik’s popularity had risen after the events of Operation: Homeland, where he had the criminal dispatched for “betraying” the Quaestor and bringing the city in danger. Although this had not been the true person behind the attempted assassination, he had been a major problem in the city that had proved difficult to remove.

However, now that he had been removed, in a “justifiable” manner, Kel Rasha had begun to flourish as the local crime syndicates had begun to exterminate each other in their rush to assume power. As the remaining syndicate prepared to lead the underworld, Arik had ordered a strike team to eliminate the remaining thugs, thus ending their hold on Seng Karash.

With no large crime syndicates situated in the city, many petty thieves and thugs had moved on to other places that were more lucrative and less hazardous to their health.

Arik stepped out of the turbolift and jogged to his shuttle. The forty-three year old physician liked to keep himself physically fit and sprinted up to the shuttle and up the ramp. Buckling himself in he felt the shuttle launch and begin its return to the planet below.

I won’t fail my people, he thought to himself as he looked at the hooded and silent figure sat across from him, only known as “The Traveler”.

The Empiricalum
Research Facility
Aeotheran
34 ABY

Aul Celsus looked up in interest and excitement as he saw blinking red lights on his datapad, hoping it contained the results of his latest experiment. Excitement turned to disappointment as he realized the signal was an incoming message on the encrypted server for Summit contact only. Knowing it must be urgent, he quickly took off his gloves and raised the protective goggles off his eyes and set them on top of his head as he opened the message. In turn, his disappointment turned to mild surprise as he realized it had come from Arik Shathis.

Orders from Darkblade. Please move your team to Kel Rasha immediately and provide security detail for the upcoming Mayoral elections in the city. Ensure the elections go smoothly and keep an eye out for possible danger. Shuttle en route to The Empiricalum.

Arik Shathis

Aul was slightly puzzled that the message did not come directly from his Master. The Mystic had not seen the Quaestor since the concluding events of the expedition to Mygeeto and his promotion to the Equite ranks.

Perhaps he is disappointed in the outcome of the expedition, Aul thought to himself. The bitter taste of defeat was still fresh in their mouths.

Not wanting to waste another minute, Aul Celsus, Battleteam Leader of Devil’s Shroud, sent out an alert to his team which told them to gather at the Kel Rasha spaceport within twelve hours. As the medic hastened to gather his gear he couldn’t help but feel adrenaline course through his body as his first mission as battle team leader was about to begin. Taking off his protective lab gear he quickly suited for normal attire.

As he gave a final glance back at his lab space, he realized his experiment at The Empiricalum would have to be started from scratch again once he returned from this mission. Sighing deeply, the Equite turned off the lights to his lab space and headed towards the exit of the facility.

VSD Covenant
Quaestor Quarters
In orbit above Aeotheran
34 ABY

Darkblade stared at his screen, watching the confirmation lights turn green as his messages were received and opened by the members who had to be reached personally. He knew he had no real power over the sole Elder in the House. With the recent defeat at Mygeeto, it wouldn’t surprise him if Malik went back to his own business. The Neti had proven to be a difficult to judge member. The Clan was important to him, that was obvious to the Anzat. House affairs though seemed to phase the elusive Elder minimally, at best. Unless Darkblade royally karked up, the Son of Sadow seemed content with watching from the sidelines and occasionally stepping in to support when needed.

Might be his age, Darkblade thought as he realized he didn’t know the exact age of the Adept, although it was rumoured to be above three millennia old.

The young Anzat fervently hoped the Sorcerer would at the very least reply to the message. Relief seeped into him as he got a short but to the point answer back.

Better than nothing at all, the Dark Jedi thought.

Looking further down the sent messages list he was content with the amount of members that had at the very least read it and a few had already replied.

The Quaestor had little doubt about the loyalty of his members to House Shar Dakhan. However, he felt their morale had taken a beating due to Scholae Palatinae’s betrayal and many members had responded by leaving the planet in order to recuperate in their own way. He had allowed them their respite, but now was the time to bring them back into the fold and start rebuilding their trust in not only themselves and, more importantly, their fellow companions.

Leaning back into his chair, Darkblade stroked his chin with his left hand and patiently awaited the responses from his House, letting the quiet hum of the ship calm his mind.

Spaceport
Kel Rasha
Aeotheran
34 ABY

“So who are you voting for?” Lilith asked Jades as both Dakhani curiously viewed the many posters that littered the walls of the spaceport.

“A face you can trust to make Kel Rasha great again, Traveler for Mayor,”Jades murmured as she took a closer look at one of the posters before tearing it off the wall. Looking directly at Lilith with deep piercing purple eyes, she rolled it up and stuck it inside her robes.

“Now you know,” the Daughter of Sadow whispered, flashing her fangs, before strolling up to the main group that had arrived at the spaceport. The hybrid had been one of many that answered the Quaestor’s call. Lilith felt slightly unnerved by the reclusive Battlelord, but quickly followed Jades back to the group.

Journeymen, Equites and even an Elder had made their way to Kel Rasha. Everyone who believed that this election was important for the city was present. In order to ensure that no foul play arose during the elections, Locke Sonjie, Sanguinius Tsucyra Entar and the new Rollmaster, Darius Tu’kul, had made their way to the city in a discreet and quiet manner.

“Atra and Darkblade have done well to turn Kel Rasha into something more than from what I can remember when I lived here not too long ago,” the Consul whispered to Sanguinius.

The Jedi favored the comment with a slight nod as he looked over the members who had answered the call.

Malik Sadow, the ancient Neti, had been one of the last to arrive. Although a surprise to many, he was greeted with great respect. His black robes clung to his humanoid form, emphasizing the Sorcerer’s lean figure. The Jedi’s eyes held secrets that only he could know throughout his extremely long lifetime. As Sang and Malik made eye contact, they gave each other a respectful nod.

Scanning the rest of the crowd he saw Mactire and Scarlet off to the side. They seemed to be whispering to each other, their voices too low to be understood. As Mactire shifted his body to better wrap his coat around him, the Sapphire Squadron emblem could be clearly seen on the coats’ left shoulder.

Aul Celsus stood in the center of the group, which had formed a circle around him as he tried to gather everyone’s attention.

“Greetings everyone!” the scientist said nervously as he fidgeted in his pocket and procured a datapad.

“Within the last couple of days, criminal activity has risen tremendously. This seems to be the work of the thugs, thieves and other low life criminals that have evaded the combined efforts of Arik Shathis and the city’s police force when they removed the underground’s leaders from power in Seng Karash.” Aul slowly turned in a circle as he gave the information, ensuring that everyone heard what he had said. His confidence seemed to grow, and he stood tall and proud.

Pocketing the datapad, Aul gave way to the enigmatic Rollmaster. As Darius Tu’kul walked into the center of the ring, the Arcanist raised a metallic gloved hand which ended with all fingers sharply tipped.

Darius stared intently into the eyes of Aexod Burgoo, the pilot seemed unfazed despite the menacing mask and deep red eyes that confronted him.

The criminals have gathered around a single entity, whose identity is currently unknown. They have also been forging false criminal charges and accusations against Maya Nikeisha and The Traveler. It is our task to find out who they are, why they are doing this, stop them and bring them to justice however we see fit.

When we succeed, the credit will be given to the Mayor. Hence we need to operate in stealth, as we are not to be noticed interfering in these elections by the general populace unless absolutely necessary.

When the Equite finished speaking, everyone gave a nod of understanding. This caused some confusion amongst certain members as they did not understand he had spoken to the entire group.

It seemed as if the Rollmaster could not speak directly, or perhaps he preferred not to. It dawned on them that Darius had spoken to the entire group directly with his telepathic power.

“Thank you Aul and Darius for the briefing,” Aexod spoke aloud as he entered the center of the ring. He commanded the attention of everyone present without saying any other words. The Clawdite had taken on the form of a Human. With the Dominion attacks on the planet still fresh on many citizens’ minds, it seemed wise not to provoke or attract unwanted attention. He pulled out a dark round disk from a front pouch on his left leg. The surface of the disk was flat and smooth, save for the symbol of a human skull with a snake wrapped through the jaw and coming out through the eyes, with a matte black finish.

Aul instantly recognized it for what it was, as he also had one. A personal communication device their Anzati Master preferred to use over standard issue ones the Clan usually used.

Aexod dropped the holo communicator in front of him. A few centimeters above the ground the device whirred to life, making some clicking sounds the device pulled itself slightly apart and floating above the metallic surface of the spaceport floor. A crystal clear holo image of the Quaestor of Shar Dakhan appeared in life size form.

“Greetings fellow Dakhani. Thank you for coming on such short notice,” the Anzat spoke to the group, bowing slightly as he noticed Malik and giving a curt nod towards Jades.

A brief flash of surprise crossed his face as he realized that Locke and Sang were also present. The emotion was quickly masked, but not before the Consul and Proconsul noticed the momentary lapse of defense in the otherwise unpredictable Quaestor.

“I assume you have all the information as to why you are here. Your mission is the most important task and needs to be met with complete discretion. However, as we are all citizens in Naga Sadow territory, you have the right to support a chosen Mayor to your liking. As long as it does not interfere with the main objective, you are free to participate in rallies and gather support as you see fit. I expect you to complete the mission before the final election date, we must not allow the dregs of the criminal society to further murk the great efforts in building this grand city. Good luck.”

Darkblade gave a deep bow before the image faded and the holo communicator returned to Aexod’s hand as Aul made a gesture with his hand in a sweeping motion. The pilot pocketed the disc back into his front pouch and signaled the group to disperse.

The group immediately began to disperse as the members began to discuss which Mayor they were planning to support. By the time everyone had made their way outside of the spaceport, their decision had been made. Two teams had formed with a single objective in mind: root out the criminals and ensure their Mayor won the election in the process.

VSD Covenant
Quaestor Quarters
In orbit above Aeotheran
34 ABY

A string of curse words and verbal abuse left the mouth of Darkblade as he sat behind his desk in his quarters. If words could kill, the Covenant would have needed to replace a handful of crew members.

Why are Locke and Sanguinius present during this minor operation? Do they not trust me to oversee this mission?

Many questions bounced around the Quaestor’s head as he realized he would need to cover his tracks more carefully if he were to escape the invisible noose that he could feel closing around his neck.

The Dark Jedi stood up suddenly, the chair behind him crashing to the ground at the unexpected movement. As he made his way to exit his quarters, he sent a quick notification to Arik Shathis, the acting Mayor of Seng Karash, to meet him at The Empiricalum as soon as possible.

It was time to evaluate their progress and figure out if keeping the Dominion soldier, which he had been holding captive since Firestorm ended, was a good idea or not. The captain had escaped him, her brother had been less fortunate.

Arr’ka was still alive for now as Darkblade was not done with him yet. He was on the verge of finally cracking him open and learning all of their secrets for himself. With Locke and Sang seemingly suspicious of his actions it was time to speed up the process.

VSD Covenant
Bridge
In orbit above Aeotheran
34 ABY

The elections had finally come to their end. The Quaestor of Shar Dakhan was not surprised at the outcome. His plan had succeeded without his interference, letting the Force guide his pawn into the position where it would be most useful. Bringing in The Traveler had been a huge risk, but it had paid off well. Both teams had also dealt with the criminal syndicate, having cornered the leader and besting him in an unconventional standoff together as a single force. This pleased the Anzat as now his members were working together against a greater threat.

Pazaak, the Anzat chuckled to himself as he envisioned the look of defeat on the thug’s face as he lost against Aul Celsus. His apprentice had been chosen as the best among them and he had not let them down.

It had been a close call, but he had done it. Beating the crime lord had lifted a burden from the doctor’s shoulders, knowing that for once violence would be unnecessary to remove a threat from the planet he called home. Although accusations of cheating quickly flew from the criminal’s mouth, it was quickly settled that the match had been won fair and square when the room filled with ignited lightsabers and trained blasters pointed at him and his remaining guard.

With the defeat of the syndicate, they were escorted to the Covenant where they had been promised a small ship which they could take anywhere so long as it was outside of the Orian System. The Quaestor had congratulated both teams on their efforts and had given them the opportunity to head back to Kel Rasha to partake in the ceremony of inauguration of the first Mayor of Kel Rasha.

Darkblade turned towards Ginla Xinsel, the new executive officer of the Covenant who stood beside the Anzat on the bridge of the Victory class Star Destroyer.

Ginla wore a short sleeved dark brown outfit which was neatly pressed, black shiny leather boots that ran up to her knees, black leather gloves and a light brown tunic under her outfit. She sported goggles that hung around her neck and a wrist communicator. Strapped to her right hip was a blaster rifle, on her left hip a stun baton. Not a smudge could be seen on the officer or her gear, convincing the Anzat that the Falleen was obsessed with cleaning.

The decision to replace Russell with Ginla had not been an easy one. Russell Barthalowmew had insisted he was ready for retirement though. So the Anzat decided that Russell could have his retirement, as the ships new Weapons Officer.

“Did you prepare the shuttle as I asked?” the Serpent asked Ginla.

“Yes I did,” came the curt response from the Falleen as she smoothed a cuff on her uniform. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail, revealing the large greenish forehead her species was recognizable for.

“Excellent. I guess we should say farewell to our guests?” Darkblade said as he motioned for a comms channel to be opened to the shuttle. He felt slightly giddy as he said this, a sense of euphoria washed over him. Whether it was from himself or the Falleen was playing tricks with him, he could not tell.

“I trust you will find the shuttle capable of delivering you to your new destination?” the Anzat asked, waiting for a reply.

“Yes Sir, thank you for your generosity, it will not be forgotten!” came the reply of the one Darkblade assumed was the leader.

“Enjoy your flight, may we never cross paths again,” The Serpent said as he shut off the comms.

“Commander, please tell your navigation officer to override their jump coordinates and put in the one we discussed earlier,” Darkblade said in a cold tone.

“Quill, override their coordinates and replace them with 089,157,378,” Ginla spoke as she turned towards her navigation officer and watched the young human put in the coordinates.

Darkblade turned from the bridge and began to walk towards the blast doors which would lead him back to his quarters.

“Ma’am, I have done as asked but these coordinates… they…” Quill Wheaton stammered as he tried to explain the situation.

“They what, Officer Wheaton?” the Quaestor asked he continued to walk towards the blast doors, passing the officer and giving him a look.

The doors hissed open to allow him access to the area behind them.

“It leads them directly into a blackhole, Sir.”

The Anzat turned and looked directly at Quill.

“Do you sympathize with these criminals? Should we recall the ship and give them home in our system? Perhaps you’d like to join them? The last time they served as excellent inhabitants.”

The sarcasm and threat clear in his voice, Darkblade awaited a response just as the doors waited to swallow the Quaestor.

“No Sir,” came the meek reply from the navigation officer as doubt and confusion spread across his face. It was clear he didn’t know how to answer this question other than to say what he thought the Anzat wanted to hear.

Darkblade smiled slightly as he turned and proceeded through the doors.

“Excellent! I’m glad we are all on the same page about how we deal with creatures who think they can get away with destroying the peace on my planet. Keep a sharp eye on this one Ginla, he may make a fine officer one day,” he said as he waved his hand about above his head in a mock dismissal.

The doors hissed shut behind the Serpent, leaving the bridge behind in stunned silence.

Kel Rasha
Alabaster Square
Mayoral inauguration
Aeotheran
34 ABY

The recent weeks had been tough but fruitful. In an effort to root out the final criminal syndicates on Aeotheran, both teams had succeeded in their task and made Kel Rasha a true free city, just like Arik had done in Seng Karash. The means by which they had done so was astounding, but had proven to be the best way in order to avoid casualties. By now the thugs would be out of the system, on a shuttle given to them by the Quaestor of Shar Dakhan. They had been given a new chance at life, something Aul Celsus felt comforted by despite their troubled history.

The square was packed with people, all the citizens of Kel Rasha had waited for this moment. The relief could be felt and seen by all the gathered Sadowans. A quiet peace and calm had settled over the citizens, the threat of insecurity and fear no longer holding grasp over them. For the first time in history, Kel Rasha was truly free. Aexod felt pride as he looked across the square and realized that he had been a part of orchestrating this truly fantastic historical moment.

As The Traveler made his way amongst the crowd towards the makeshift podium, he gave a slight nod towards the team that had helped him win this election. Sang, Aul, Aexod, Jades and Cable nodded back, then turned to each other to congratulate their hard efforts.

“Well done,” Locke said as he approached the others. Malik, Scarlet, Lilith and Mactire and followed behind the Consul and also congratulated their fellow Sadowans.

“This was an interesting turn of events. We brought the criminals to justice, restored order and peace to Kel Rasha and it’s citizens and helped raise an unknown figure to the position of Mayor,” Malik stated calmly. His view on the new Mayor could not be determined from his stance.

“At least we rid the city of unrest. Now let’s just hope you supported the right candidate,” Lilith whispered as they turned back to watch the inauguration ceremony begin. The feel good vibe of the crowd around them lifting up their spirits and they began to join in the celebration.

Kel Rasha
Nikeisha Residence
After the Inauguration Ceremony
Aeotheran
34 ABY

Maya Nikeisha and her sisters sat in their home, the large mansion silent for the first time in weeks. The living room was spacious, massive reclining hover chairs were spread throughout the room. A chandelier adorned the ceiling and cast its beautiful orangish color throughout the dimly lit room. In the middle of the room was a dining table, fit for kings. A fire could be heard in the fireplace, heating the room and its inhabitants. It had grown cold the last month, and the night had been creeping up on them ever faster with each day.

Maya could appreciate the silence for once, their busy and hectic lives now deserved some peace and quiet. A glass of wine in her hands, she stood before the fireplace letting the heat of the fire and the warmth of the wine spread throughout her body. It calmed her, allowing her to think of the past few months and how Kel Rasha had grown to become the city her father had always said it would turn out to be.

A teardrop rolled down her cheek, not bothering to wipe it away. She took another sip of wine and stared at the embers of the fire as she welcomed the comforting snap-crackle-pops of the wood burning.

A sudden knock at the door brought her back to her senses. She wiped her tears away, setting the glass down before making her way to the door to see who would be bothering them now so late at night.

The butler rushed in with bright red cheeks and gave a quick bow. “Mistress, The Traveler has appeared unannounced before our door. Normally I would turn him away… but it seems rather rude to refuse an audience to the Mayor,” he said as he ran out of breath.

“Let him in,” she whispered as she turned towards her sisters and began to take her place at the head of the table. Taking another sip of wine, she hesitated and thought frak it and downed the rest of the glass before setting it down on the table.

What does he want? Probably to humiliate us some more and flounder his landslide victory over me, Maya thought to herself. Her sisters sat themselves around the table, three on each side of her.

She heard the door open, and the butler letting the Mayor in.

“They are waiting for you in the living room Sir, please wait a moment while I hang your coat up and I shall escort you–” he was cut off before finishing his sentence.

“No need Gerald, thank you. You have always been of great service to the Nikeisha family,” The Traveler said. His final words caused the butler to gasp out loud.

Panic began to rise in Maya’s as she did not know what to expect.

The Traveler walked into the living room. The signature brown robes and hooded cowl of the person was all too familiar as this thing stood within her home.

“The house hasn’t changed much since I left,” the man whispered as he turned around in a circle to view the large living room.

“How would you know that,” Maya snapped as she stood up from her chair, “and how do you know our butler’s name?”

A deep sigh could be heard from the Mayor, it sounded mournful.

“Because my darling, I used to live here not so long time ago,” The Traveler said as he removed his cowl, allowing the people before him to look upon the face that was all too familiar to them.

“You can’t trust the face of your politicians,” the man said as he held out his arms in humble offering.

Diego Nikeisha had finally come home.