Aruetii

[Dmitri]

There is a word in Mando'a called "aruetii". The Basic translation is "outsider" or "traitor". These two words fit well with the New Sith Imperium. However, though they were outsiders, they were not seen as traitors. Instead, they were allies, born through conflict bred by inactive Mandalores. But a new Mandalore had rose to power, Corden Vencu. He had already met with Empress Andraste, though more informally, and a new meeting was about to start. The empress would not be present, but Grand General Lucifel would be. He would be negotiating a pact between the two factions for cooperation between the two forces, one of a truce rather than integration into the war.

At least that's what it was officially and publicly. Corden Vencu's disdain for the Galactic Alliance was known to many, and such revelation reached the empire's ears through Apollo Ordo and later in conversation with Andraste. The empire wished to add the Mandalorians to their military conglomerate that was warring against the Galactic Alliance and its Jedi pets, but it had to proceed with caution. The Mandalorians were known for their brute force, but they weren't stupid. They had pride, but weren't arrogant. Sith had betrayed the Mandalorians in the past, even enslaved and killed a couple. Even before the Sith dark side users such as the Bogan Empire had tried to manipulate the Mandalorians. But no more. The empire had to be more subtle in their invitation. This summit was weeks in the making. If Corden's successor was in power, it was likely such a meeting would not have happened for several more months.

But events were flying by, and those left behind would not profit from the future to come. Corden Vencu and Apollo Ordo, Corden's right-hand man, knew this well, and had invited a Sith dignitary to Manda, one of the few planets under Mandalorian control ever since the exodus, which the empire was working to arrange to restore their old territory to their control.

Grand General Lucifel could see Manda now, metaphorically speaking, as his flagship, the Dominion, entered the system. The carrier had its weapon systems powered down, though it had shields up; leaving oneself defenseless never went well. Lucifel paged the planet, letting them know of his arrival, though it was more of a courtesy than anything; no doubt the Mandalorian sensors had picked up the ship already. "This is Grand General Lucifel in the Dominion. I am here to meet with the Mandalore. I am expected."

Ten seconds didn't even pass before a scruff voice responded, "Acknowledged, Dominion. Protocols are being transmitted to you now. Please oblige by the procedures, or we will treat such action as open hostility."

"We understand," said Lucifel simply. Whereas many Sith echelon came from the Force-worshiping sect, Lucifel's origins hailed from the military. As such, he had the patience and willingness to obey docking procedures.

An officer reported the transmission and over the next ten minutes the Dominion followed the protocols provided by the Mandalorian fleet. They were escorted by two Kom'rk-class destroyers, one on each side. Lucifel had to give them credit; they weren't foolish as to openly trust the New Sith Imperium, though he hoped it was out of military tactics rather than suspicion brought on by the past. They stopped short of the central command center, where authorization was granted for a fighter and a shuttle to depart for the planet. Lucifel left the bridge for his shuttle and flew to the planet below. They were directed to a well-guarded landing pad near the perimeter wall reinforced by flak batteries.

As the shuttle docked, Lucifel made his way to the exit. He briskly walked onto the ramp where he greeted the Mandalorian honor guard waiting to escort him to the Mandalore.

Lucifel held out his blast by the barrel, the butt facing the nearest Mandalorian. "My sidearm. I do believe you'll want me unarmed for the meeting, I take it?"

* - * - *​

On the other side of the ship, near the fueling pump, Geist Weiss stood in wait. Currently disguised as a Mandalorian, he awaited the arrival of Apollo Ordo. Next to him was three containers, each reinforced by Sith alchemy to prevent breakouts, as imprisoned inside were Tach Enarai, Brok Miran, and Lyko Miran.


OOC: Vencu, ou can RP Lucifel coming with the honor guard to where Mandalore is. If he needs to be checked for bugs and weapons, you can RP that being done to him. If he's allowed to keep his weapon, you can RP him putting the blaster into its holster and following.

 

[Vencu]

"Keep your weapon, burc'ya." The nearest Mandalorian replied, shaking his helmeted head from side to side slowly as a bout of laughter erupted from the other four commandos, "Even the gardener here has one... and his packs a lot more heat than that fancy little piece you've got."

--------

Corden stood just outside the entrance to the aptly named Ori'bral, the massive tower that dominated the skyline of Manda's largest city and capitol. He watched on as a shuttle landed a hundred meters or so away, well within the secure perimeter formed by the high permacrete walls that surrounded the tower itself. The shuttle's single starfighter escort peeled away at the last moment to return to orbit as General Lucifel appeared on the ramp, already headed in Corden's direction. Five ori'ramikade, supercommandos in the common tongue, had fallen in around the general, two taking up position on each side and one in the lead. Corden gave the general a curt nod as the man finally neared the base of the steps that led up to the entrance. As if on cue, the escorts left the general and marched up the steps, passing Corden and taking up position on either side of the blast doors, which appeared to have been designed for Mandallian giants judging by their size. They had already begun to open, revealing a large, dimly lit chamber beyond.

"Grand General Lucifel."

 

[Dmitri]

The Grand General was escorted to a structure that was built to last, whether from age or carnage. Lucifel was not lost in the architecture, as he was soon greeted by the latest Mandalore. Mandalores had come and gone over the last year, not as frequently as the Jedi, but at an unhealthy pace. Corden Vencu seemed the type of man to stick to tradition of old rather than the new, so he'd be around, hopefully.

Lucifel returned the greeted. "The pleasure is all mine. Politics I've heard are not the obsession in the Mandalorians as it was in the Empire and Galactic Alliance. Please forgive me if I don't kiss you on the cheek, compliment you for hours on end, and smile with greed hidden behind kindness. As a military man, I prefer to skip over the political charade, if you don't mind. Would allow us to get to business much sooner. After all, I am not the Galactic Alliance. I come so we may map out our future together, rather than gift you with feasts and banquet you with empty promises." He rubbed the cloth covering his burnt face. "Not like I can eat feasts anyway. Be thankful your throat was not badly burnt in battle. Liquified food gets old after several years." He made his comments in hopes of lightening up the mood a little, but not to the point of a politician's skit, but rather also provide a reminder that he fought in many battles and has the scars to prove it.

 

[Mars]

"A knife in the dark is more valuable than a thousand swords at dawn."

The Mandalorian Civil War was one fought on both fronts. In the light of open battlefields and in the shadowy labyrinths of the mind. The war had been won by the Seperatists, under the leadership of polarizing general Corden Vencu and the Ori'alor Apollo Ordo. Few knew the second-in-command's secret, where his true loyalties lay. His father a fallen Jedi and a Sith before they took the Empire back, his mother steadfastly loyal to the man even as he rotted away in prison on Echan. As the young Echani was raised in Mandalorian society, his mother began to branch out to his fathers friends in high places, getting Apollo a spot as an agent in the Ubiqtorate. As a warrior, Apollo was feared throughout the galaxy for his ferocity. As an infiltrator, Apollo was without equal.

Geist Weiss would be the second half of this operation, one that would seal the fate of the Galactic Alliance if properly executed. Apollo's beskar armor held no shine, days worth of training hours and battlefield operations having taken that away long ago. The half-maroon, half-white Mythosaur skull on his chestplate seemed to stare into the disguised Sith with a fury all its own. Handing the Sith a rather incriminating holotape of a certain former-Loyalist leader, the Echani-hybrid spoke silently.

"Ensure this goes smoothly, Sith, word says you are nearly the equal of Lord Spektor, so I have no doubt to your ability."

Apollo grinned, today would be a momentous one indeed.

 

[Dmitri]

As Geist waited for his contact to arrive, he finished up the files that would be uploaded into the Mandalorian database that would incriminate a Mandalorian chosen by Apollo as the scapegoat that supposedly let the GA commandos past security named Titus Skirata. Brok Miran's ship had been left at the space station Fallline and records would be falsified to state that Titus, not Even Jelall, had been the only other person to go there, making it appear as though Titus had picked up Brok, Lyco, and Tach. Tach Enarai had been captured during the skirmish on Tanaab, but his capture had been silenced, with a fake report of Tach escaping like the other Jedi who had fought there.

Apollo finally arrived. Geist typed the last of the data and handed it to Apollo. "Upload that into the mainframe, and the necessary alterations will be made to suggest that Titus smuggled these three," Geist motioned to the boxes, "inside the compound. As a former loyalist, his political views against Corden Vencu and support of the Galactic Alliance are well known. Hazac killed Titus, so we don't have to worry about him testifying against us."

Geist activated the hovercrafts that would be carrying the boxes. Already loaded, they just needed to follow Apollo. "I'll follow you to the rendezvous and help get them ready to be executed." Geist took out an Alliance-issued sniper rifle. "Do you wish to take the shot or I?"

Geist offered for Apollo to lead the way.

OOC: We can continue talking while walking and when we get there.

 

[Vencu]

"You'll find that most Mandalorians you meet prefer to get straight down to business and skip small talk, Grand General." Corden replied, stepping to the side and gesturing toward the entrance, "I'm happy to hear that it's a shared sentiment."

Corden led the Grand General forward, entering the empty, featureless chamber. It had no other exit or adjoining chambers. As the blast door slammed shut behind them with a resounding thud, glowpanels along the wall illuminated the room and its two occupants. Corden turned to face his guest.

"This fortress is a target, Grand General. I might as well paint it with bright colors and adorn it with flashing lights." Corden stated rather plainly as the floor began to vibrate beneath their feet, "But that's the point. The entire tower is a sham. The flak batteries and armor are very real, but there are no offices, barracks, or control centers on any of its upper levels. The real base is far beneath us. Deep underground. Safe. I won't bore you, though. There's a fully functional war room on one of the middle tiers. Even has its own balcony overlooking the city. It's mostly just for looks, but it'll do."

The room-turned-turbolift began to rise, quickly gaining speed as it shot upward toward the tower's middle section.

 

[Mars]

Geist had done the background work and everything was set up quite well. There was very, very little that could have possibly gone wrong. The capture and silencing of the POW's, the fake files, everything was clicking together now. Apollo took the datapad and turned to walk towards the mainframe, motioning for Geist to follow.

"Titus was an excellent choice. His death will serve our purpose well."

The Echani stepped at a smooth pace with his boots leaving a cold echo through the hall as his Beskar boots hit the floor. The Sith drew a rifle and Apollo grinned slightly.

"Nice rifle there. You can take the shot if you'll be able to hit."

Shortly after, the two made it to the mainframe, Apollo slipped in the files and they uploaded straight in, the two moving to their predesignated rendezvous point shortly after. As Geist got set up, Apollo spoke aloud.

"And with this shot, so begins the fall of the Galactic Alliance."

 

[Dmitri]

As rumors claimed, Corden Vencu held the same belief of cutting the charade as Lucifel did. Lucifel was impressed as the Mandalore informed him about the true base.

"A sound plan," acknowledged Lucifel. "The Empire has grown arrogant over the centuries, and has faltered on such excellent tactics. We advertise our location too much. Still, hiding underground isn't a certain protection. At Seoul V during Operation Twilight, the Imperial Knights had an underground base but that did not help them in the slightest."

Lucifel followed Corden onto the turbolift as they rose up. They eventually arrived at the middle-tier that Corden had mentioned earlier. As confirmation, there was indeed a balcony. Lucifel nonchalantly began walking towards it. "Such a breeze is a sign that we are free. However, armor restricts such refreshment. But that is not a burden, but a reminder. With armor enveloping our body from the wind, it reminds us that a battle is for freedom. If a battle is lost, a war is lost, then that freedom shall not return. A breeze splashing on one's skin are the end result of a struggle for peace, but soldiers like us rarely take off our armor for good. No, we fight so others may enjoy the winds of freedom."

OOC: Your turn Vencu. Once you post, with Corden opening the window, I'll then post with a reply from both Lucifel and Geist. After that, the posting order will be gone and we can post whenever.

 

[Vencu]

As Corden and the Grand General approached, a portion of the transparisteel barrier just ahead slid away, allowing them to proceed directly onto the balcony. Corden gave way as they passed through the newly revealed entrance, but a few strides brought him back to Lucifel's side, left thumb hooked into his utility belt as he surveyed the cityscape beyond. Instead of a safety rail, the outer edge of the balcony was occupied by a thick, reinforced permacrete wall that rose just a little over waist high. Corden stopped just short of the wall, joining the Grand General as he enjoyed the view.

"Perhaps." Corden replied, offering a curt nod as he considered Lucifel's words, "Freedom is possible for some. Peace, though? Peace is a lie. There will always be conflict and Mandalorians like me will always wear beskar'gam-- our second skin."

 

[Dmitri]

Geist returned the sniper into his own hands. "I can do it."

Geist knelt down and aimed at the tower. As if on cue, Grand General Lucifel and the Mandalore, Corden Vencu, entered the balcony. Geist informed Apollo of this, though he doubted the man didn't already know. His scope fell upon Lucifel, then Corden. He gave a small push in the Force. It wouldn't affect anything, but those truly in tune with the Force, such as Lucifel, would notice it.

"Moment of truth," murmured Geist.

Geist pulled the trigger.

* ~ * ~ *​

The Mandalore followed the Miraluka and critiqued the Grand General, differentiating between peace and freedom. In truth, Lucifel had to admit the Mandalorian was correct. Still, that didn't stop him from having a chill down his spin.

"Peace is a lie."

The comment from the Mandalore surprised Lucifel. It was a tenet in the Code of the Sith. "Peace is a lie, there was only passion." Corden Vencu was indeed passionate about his people, but not in the way the Sith were about power. After the initial surprise, Lucifel shrugged it off. He guessed the reference was by accident.

"Peace is a lie, indeed, though the Sith seem to think that all that lies instead is passion. Passion may help motivate, and empower those who use the Force, but it can be harmful. Personally, I see the Force as a double-edged sword. It can help, but it can also be harmful. Many learned to use the Force around the age that hormones racked their brains. Few are blessed with full control at the beginning. My species, for example, the Miraluka, are born blind and depend on the Force to see. And while that Force helps me see, I've seen, figuratively, Force users use it like a new toy, thinking they're gods. The Jedi are too dependent on self-restraint, and that's bad as well, but some control and discipline would be great. It's why I'm impressed with the Mandalorians. Too long as Force been seen as the key to survival and victory. Yet here are the Mandalorians. A deep culture that has survived millennias without depending on the Force. It may work alongside those who use the Force, but the Mandalorians have shown themselves to be a people who aren't dependent on the Force to do well. For that, I congratulate you and wish for your-"

Lucifel felt the warning in the Force. Just as scripted earlier, Lucifel twirled toward Corden Vencu. "Down!" As he shouted, he pushed Corden Vencu to the ground. A second later, a crisp burning odor swayed in the area. A scorched hole had appeared on the Grand General's uniform, higher than planned.

He was suppose to hit my side, Lucifel realized.

Lucifel fell down. Breathing was hoarse, but shallow. He was starting to go into shock. "Stay... down... I see a... sniper... at... at..."

Lucifel lost consciousness. If a medic could be rushed within ten minutes, he could be saved, though the injury would leave him unconscious for a few days.

* ~ * ~ *

Geist sensed his aim had been off. The plan was to strike him in the shoulder. The burnhole was on the chest. However, now was not the time to worry. Mandalorian medics would either save him or not; there was nothing Geist could do now.

"Operation executed," Geist informed Apollo Ordo, with satisfaction in his voice. "Verde Tracyn is ready in a nearby street, ready to 'testify seeing Vier Ziele and a Mandalorian flee'. I better leave myself."

With a snap of his fingers, Geist vanished. It was not that he had teleported, but rather enshrouded himself in invisibility. He would rush to the Dominion's shuttle, where he would wait inside, pretending to be the pilot.

 

[Mars]

The next step also went through without major flaw as Geist fired. Lucifel would die but he would become a martyr for the cause as the Mandalorian-Sith alliance took another step forward. The base went on high alert just as the prisoners were released and subsequently shot and killed by Apollo's DL-44 blaster. Oliver and Cypher went to work removing any evidence the boxes had ever been there and only Apollo remained, his armor slightly bloodied and all work being done to make it look like there was a short struggle. While Lucifel had fallen, it was for the strength of the Empire and the Mandalorians as a whole. Each drop of his blood that fell enriched the Empire with its essence and as he slipped on into the next realm, he could die a patriot who completed his mission.

With a grin on his face, Apollo looked toward the sky. His father was formerly known as one of the greatest Ubiqtorate agents of all time. With this operations continued success the young Echani would be an Imperial legend.

 

[Vencu]

[OOC: Sorry, it isn't my best work, but I'm exhausted. It'll do.]

In a blur of motion, Corden caught Lucifel's hand at the wrist as it shot toward him, but the attempted interception came too late. Corden was shoved sideways and off-balance and he knew beyond all doubt that regaining his footing was an impossibility. He accepted the new circumstances without hesitation, adding his full weight to the fall and pulling the Grand General down with him. Corden slammed down hard, air knocked from his lungs as Lucifel's limp form fell just on top of him. He heard the man mumbling incoherently, saw the steady stream of crimson puddling on the permacrete-- that's when his mind registered the shout and the signature crack of a high-powered rifle. Grand General Lucifel had sacrificed himself. He had taken the shot meant for the leader of the united Mandalorian Clans. Corden cursed aloud. No doubt, his beskar armor could have stopped the projectile, but there was always a chance the sniper was far from a novice and the weapon powerful enough to exploit the small gaps in the armor plating.

Corden shouted into his helmet comlink, calling for a medic he already knew wouldn't reach them in time. Pulling himself out from under the Grand General and keeping low to the ground, he tore into his medical pouch, retrieving a thick pad of gauze, a stack of self-adhesive chest seals, and a auto-ejector. He worked quickly, tearing the garments concealing the wound and cutting what refused to tear with his vibroblade. Propping Lucifel on his side, Corden waited for him to exhale before slapping the seal over the entry wound. He held the seal in place as he swept his opposite hand over the man's back in search of exit wounds. As he feared, there were none. The projectile was still somewhere inside and had probably tumbled around within the Grand General causing even more internal damage. If it had gone straight through without knicking an artery or piercing a vital organ, Lucifel would have had a much better chance of surviving the injury. Locating a suitable vein on Lucifel's shoulder, Corden depressed a small button on the hydroxyethyl auto-injector and emptied its contents into the man's bloodstream. He grimaced, once again shouting into his helmet comlink for the medic.