(Takeover of Telos & Mirial)




Telos.






The overwhelming show of strength was swift, brutal and efficient.


The band of Pirates, and marauders were overcome before they had time to grasp just what was happening.


The expeditionary forces arrival was announced with a blinding flash of cronau radiation and a barrage of pre-primed turbolaser-fire , slicing through the ranks of the small mis-matched flotilla of pirates, caught unawares by both the ferocity of the onslaught, and the misapprehension that no such fleet existed nearby.

The armadas exited Hyperspace and stamped their authority across the space-lanes , Hyperways and general volume of space in and surrounding both the Hydian way, and the planet close to the gateway of what is known as Corporate Sector space.

Telos.


The bands of pirates that had plagued Telos and the surrounding trading routes would do so no longer. After some initial groundwork, positively identifying the culprits, and pin-pointing their locations and movements, the operation was set in motion.

Those few that did manage to evade the initial bombardment, tried to flee into hyperspace, but found their escape attempts thwarted, by a contingent of interdictors activating their interdiction fields to ensnare the hapless bandits, in a net around Telos.

As the demand to surrender was transmitted , several squadrons of fighters were disgorged from the Imperator-class star destroyers and fighter carriers, as if to punctuate the message further.

Those that did not and instead chose to fight, were quickly picked off by what many described as a new design of fighter-craft previously unseen, fast, maneuverable, and powerful. Some disgruntled witnesses describing after the event, that many of these craft which they swore blind they had targeted within their gun-sights, had either simply vanished or had soaked up an impossible volley of laser-fire.

After what seemed like a promising new start for Telos years ago, with Stellar Enterprises, had backfired spectacularly, and the provisional government (so called due to its reliance on the support from Mr Stellar's Corporation) had collapsed after the Corporation and Mr Stellar himself, disappeared , along with any backing or stability it had previously enjoyed.

The descent into chaos was fast and savage.

A cry for help had been directed towards its closest neighbour, one that had helped in the past, and could be counted on to help once again, in practical, real terms.

That cry had been answered, and here was its reply.

The entire naval exercise was a message in itself.

Pirates , marauders and half-baked militias would no longer be tolerated along this part of the Hydian way, and Telos , along with its trade-routes and inhabitants were now off-limits , under the watchful and protective eyes of its newly appointed guardians.

As the seven thousand, five hundred metre long command ship opened up its banks of Laser-cannons, the resulting flashes of las-fire briefly lit up the new emblem emblazoned across its rounded prow-like front.
As the cannons tore into the ranks of the darting, fleeing marauders, the personnel inside the hapless ships were offered up only a fleeting glimpse of their attacker's identity, from the shining name plate fastened upon its hull.


The Orion.

Telos...

Four months later...





Miles Johnson looked down at the planet below from the window of his quarters onboard the Mon-Calamari super-star Capital ship Orion with a mixture of curiousity and grim admiration. The large ship was in geo-synchronous orbit around Telos, keeping a watchful eye over the planet and its denizens, along with two medium sized escort fleets on patrol around the general area, one insystem, and another keeping vigilant along the closest section of the Hydian way, quietly monitoring inbound and outgoing traffic.

All pre-armed and on standby ready to either engage or to jump to a set of pre-arranged co-ordinates should a number of threatening situations call for it.

The inhabitants of Telos had been through a hell of a lot, and been let down many times.

Miles turned his concentrated gaze from the planet to the data -pad he held in his left hand, and scratched his forehead with his right hand thumb absently, grimacing at the status report, with this thought in mind.

It was his every intention, to ensure it would not happen again.

His eyes returned to the view from his quarters, and studied the patch-work looking structure of the still (albeit, sparsely) functioning Citadel station, hovering partially over the planet like a kind of ill-fitting patch of armour.

In the distance he could just make out the glimmer of the defence fleet now patrolling the planet, ensuring it had not missed any rogue elements that might still be hiding somewhere insystem.

As the situation on the ground began to improve, so now it was time to get the ball rolling above it.

The station, a hold-over from the Old Republic days, had seen better days, and bore the scars of many past battle and accidents, but its super-structure was mainly intact, Vinda-Corp's own surveyors had noted it could be strengthened, repaired, improved and updated.

And that was what both he and his former boss fully intended to do.

With it , the regeneration of Telos could be speeded up, significantly.

Already he watched closely as thousands of droids, and humans alike started work across the breadth of the station, making its surface crawl as if it had been taken over by an army of ants.

He nodded to himself slightly in approval.

...but there was still much to do.

An interim government, with emergency powers had been put together to co-ordinate efforts both in space and on the ground, and so far , they were making progress, liaising with both the civil services and a newly raised urban police force keeping relative order.
Formed by democratically elected community leaders and representatives from the major cities of Telos itself. The elections had been swift and somewhat unceremonious, but that was more to do with the desire to improve the situation on Telos quickly and efficiently than anything else.

Gradually the framework had been put into place, and the denizens of Telos, were rising to the challenge.

Four new terra-forming plants of V-techs own design had been put into work on the planet and were working well, recycling the polluted and dangerous gases and elements of Telos's battered environment into a cleaner and safer atmosphere.

Infrastructure was slowly being repaired and rebuilt, buildings, roads, plazas, both residential and commercial being constructed, to not only provide the long suffering citizens of Telos with clean and new homes, but with a future.

For those immediately homeless, temporary Hard-light shelters had been set-up to accommodate those who needed them most.

A huge down-port had also started construction to act as the main hub between the ground and the station above it, it would in the future act as both a commercial enterprise and as a kind of passport control for all civilian traffic coming in or out.

The design had to account and prepare for not just the current business climate, (which to be fair was practically none-existent due to the state of the planet) but for the future, it had to be able to cope with the heavy demand they all predicted would come as the regeneration of Telos began to take hold.

This would have to be tempered with the ecological impact this might have, it would be a fine balance, where each day the progress would have to be tracked and measured against this.

Miles reflected upon this for a moment, it would happen, of that there was no doubt, Telos used to be a key stop-over point along the very busy Hydian way, and with a bit of investment and some thought, could become so once again, potentially very lucrative.


He chuckled to himself for a moment, remembering how excited the old man had been, Mile's didn't know where he got his energy from, where as most people would start to slow down at his age, Vinda seemed to be the opposite.

Seemingly not content with raising a company from scratch and steering it to become arguably the most successful Corporation of its kind , he had now taken on even more responsibility by becoming Executor for Bonadan, no less.
Miles had heard the news from the Holo-net of the old man's success, it was official, Vinda was now a politician , a key representative of this Commonwealth.

His admiration for the man had grown more, (despite his move into politics)

Miles wondered what pushed the ex-corporation man, why he took on these big challenges, what drove him. He had seen the man's drive first hand, on Bonadan. Capricia; he had thrown his lot in with the Caprician's very early on, most people had written them off, seen them as too small, too remote to be profitable, or useful.

Vinda had seen something they had all missed, supported them, and taken a huge risk, everything in fact.

Miles shifted uncomfortably as some of the memories of that period flashed through his head again..

He shrugged them off.

The gamble had paid off, probably more than the old man had expected too.

Together with the Commonwealth they had all built something worthwhile, something tangible, not only for themselves but for all their people.

With this in mind , a thought struck Miles. Looking down at the activity below him, drenched in the aura of the glowing planet , he realised just how much this must have affected the stubborn old Bantha.

The line could be traced directly from those events, to the first meeting maybe?...

Chance?

Stupid dumb luck?

No. Miles thought to himself plainly, that didn't ring true...

Fate?

Miles contemplated this for a moment, weighing up its significance, not just to past events but to himself as well...


Perhaps.


He glanced back at the status report on his data-pad, and smiled faintly to himself...




...there was still much more to do...

Kirima…

(just outside Verena City)



The sleek looking vessel landed with a trio of gentle bumps, as the landing gear and its extended 'legs' touched down upon the surface.

Its powerful engines wound down with a kind of reluctant whine, sending dust, sand and debris flying outwards in their wake.

With a series of mechanical , yet somehow, graceful noises, the landing gantry unfolded as one of its occupants emerged from the under-belly of the pristine and elegant craft.

Natalya, stepped off the bottom of the gantry, closed her eyes, took a deep breath of fresh air, and exhaled slowly, savouring the moment.

It felt good to feel firm ground beneath her feet again.

Opening her eyes, she took in the vista before her, holding her hand up to cover her eyes from the heat and brightness of the sun, (to which she was still adjusting) and smiled softly.

It had been a long while since Nat had last been here, and to say a great deal had transpired since then, was somewhat of an understatement.

Kirima itself had experienced its own problems since Natalya's last visit, it , and it's people had suffered during the Domain war, but it had slowly and surely healed its past wounds, with some help from the Commonwealth of course.

The young Jedi was pleased to see that this part of the world, at least, had been relatively untouched by the conflict.

The beach stretched out as far as her eyes could see, and the sounds of the waves rolling in onto the shore, filled her ears.


With a final glance back to the vessel, Nat looked up to the cockpit and waved, and on cue the gantry started to fold itself back into the vessel.

With that, Natalya started to walk , feeling her footsteps give way slightly in the white sand underneath, the shuttle carried other forms of conveyance, but Nat had refused, feeling the urge to stretch her legs.

The craft had been given to Nat by her father, a unique design, one which he had personally overseen, and she had only accepted it upon his insistence, in order to make him feel better. He had argued , quite emphatically in fact, that if she was going to go flying around the galaxy, then she needed a ship that could help protect her.

It was hard to say no to, and considering past events, Natalya had found it almost impossible to argue with him, and as such, relented. While she certainly liked it, the young woman was still not wholly comfortable with receiving gifts from her father.

As Natalya strolled, slowly but steadily across the beach, the irony of these thoughts , in light of her present location, caused her to let slip a rueful smile.

Yes, a lot had happened since her last visit, thats for damn sure.


As the Jedi apprentice traversed the peak of a sandy, grassy dune, the reason for her current sojourn here now gradually came into view.

Natalya paused for a moment and gazed up at her destination, and a broad grin spread across her lips as the small homestead, presently silhouetted by the sun seemed to shift slightly in the heat haze, like a mirage in the desert.

Picking up the pace, Nat made her way over, and used the doorbell to announce her presence, which it did with a pleasant chime.

"Hello? Yes? Who is it?" Came the familiar, but wary voice over the intercom…

"I'm only here for the Caff!" Quipped Nat with a grin still planted across her face.

A moments silence… the penny drops, and then a hoot of delight…

"Natalya! is that you? oh it is!"

The young Jedi's smile grew even larger at the sound of the voice, and as the door opens the elderly lady ushers her inside with both excitement and obvious glee, and the two embrace.

Natalya stood back and let the old lady trace the contours of her face, and watched her closely as she smiled..

"So, pretty" the elderly woman whispered as she put her hands down, causing Nat to feel a little self-conscious, and the old lady giggled, as if sensing this…

"Still finding it difficult to accept compliments I see!" She said in reaction, and Nat laughed lightly and spoke...

"I've missed you Gaia"

"Hah!" Said the old lady abruptly, with a large warm smile...

"You're just here for the Caff!"

Three days prior…




Mirial...



"You sent for me, Tem'zemin"

The Elder, stopped pacing and turned to face the young woman who had entered his chamber, and nodded solemnly, his face, grimly set.

The young woman, bowed deeply out of respect, and then looked up as if searching the Elder's face for any clue as to her mysterious summoning in the middle of the night.

"The time is upon us, Aurryn" The old man said matter of factly, and though his somewhat cryptic comment did little to shed any light on her understanding, the woman remained quiet...

"The Convergence, is now…"

The young woman looked up abruptly at his words, and her eyes widened as their meaning sunk in. There was no confusion now.

The Elder turned his aged face in her direction , shifting his gaze upon the young woman now standing before him, and nodded, as if confirming something only he was privy to.

"You have heard of the other tribes?" He asked her, eventually…

Aurryn lowered her eyes and nodded slowly and replied "Yes, Elder" the concern in her voice was still plainly evident…

"Then you know what awaits all of us , should you fail"

Aurryn straightened herself up and answered firmly "I will not fail"

The Elder simply grunted in reaction, and Aurryn could not tell whether it was in disapproval or support.

"You must leave tonight, go to Kirima"

Aurryn frowned as she repeated the name… "Kirima" It was not a place she knew...

"There" The old man continued "You will seek out the one who can help us, you will seek out the Jedi"

Tem'zemin placed his hand on her shoulder..

"Seek out the daughter of the one they call Vinda"

Aurryn, lowered her eyes as she heard the name, committing it to memory, and felt her resolve harden.

The Mirialan woman was not convinced at the Elder's conviction that this 'Jedi' was going to be of any use to them and their situation at all, but one did not just disregard what an Elder asks.

Now was not the time.

Aurryn had indeed found out what had befallen the other tribes, and not only was their entire way of life at risk, but their very lives also.

Whether this 'Vinda woman' would be of any use or not, Aurryn made a promise to herself...


I will not fail.

The Present...



"How are things going with your Father?"

The directness of this question, and all it entailed took Nat by surprise a little, and the young Jedi looked up at Gaia in a moment of hesitation. Mainly from being unsure of what to say exactly…

"Er…um, lets just say its a work in progress" Nat settled upon a little awkwardly…

"Ah, then there is progress, no?" Gaia said warmly in reply, with a playful smile tugging at her lips..

Nat smiled wryly…conceding Gaia's point "I suppose, but he's not really one for talking about his feelings"

"hah!" Barked Gaia causing Nat to jump a little "Show me a man who is!" Which brokered a grin from the young Jedi seated opposite her. There were not many people Nat felt she could open up to, but Gaia was one of them…

"but its frustrating" The young woman continued "He's so damned stubborn, you know he was dead set against me becoming a Jedi"

Gaia shrugged at this "He's just worried about you, thats all" She returned "What Father wouldn't be?"

Nat pursed her lips at this, and sighed…"That's just it, its …its just weird…"

Gaia's ears seemed to prick up at this, and she looked up at the young woman, her voice curious as she spoke.." What do you mean?"

Nat, frowned and shifted her weight on the chair lightly as she articulated her thoughts… "well… what I mean by that is, for years I had a Father who at best, did not give a shit, and now…"

"Now you have one that does?" Gaia finished for her, with a half smile.

The young Jedi nodded and replied somewhat ruefully "Something like that , yes"

"And you find this difficult, because?" Gaia gently prodded…

"For years I tried everything I could think of to get any kind of recognition from my Father (who I thought was my Father, at least) only to get nothing but his contempt. When it finally sunk in, that this was it, that it was not going to get any better, I just got my head down …and got on with it"

Nat found her words came easy, coming to mind as if remembering a past life, and she cradled her hands around her warm mug…

"but then you found out, who your real Father was…" Gaia interjected, and Natalya nodded slightly…

"Yes, and it explained so much, I mean for years , I thought it was me, that I was the one who was not good enough, and then I realised everything I knew was wrong, or had been twisted…"

Nat was speaking very openly now, and it felt good to release it all. Cathartic.

"That part of my life seems very far away now" The Jedi said, her voice trailing off…

Gaia smiled warmly, and reached out to touch Natalya's hand with her own as she spoke "Exactly, and that's where it should stay, there's no point in dwelling upon things you cannot change, or which only serves to hurt you. You have a new life now, and someone who cares for you, your real Father"

Nat looked at her and smiled faintly herself "Sometimes I am not sure what to make of him" She said with a nervous laugh

Gaia nodded and took a sip of her own drink "Change always feels strange, and I'll bet it feels just as 'weird' to him also.."

Nat smiled inwardly at this, Gaia did have a point, it was going to be an adjustment for both of them.

"Whats important" Gaia continued steadily "..is that the change is for the better… is it better Natalya?" The old woman asked pointedly...

Natalya picked up her mug of caff, as she considered Gaia's question, it was strange, the situation, but as Nat examined her feelings closer, they were not negative, just the opposite in fact.

"Yes Gaia, they are" Nat answered firmly…

Gaia smiled broadly at this, "Then that is all that matters, ne?"

The old lady put her wizened hands upon Nat's and smiled reassuringly as she spoke

"The rest will fall into place, in time"