Region: Unknown Regions
Sector: Alatar<o =""></o>
Planet: Alatar Prime

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> Deep Core Research Facility
Security Code Red<o =""></o>

Alatar. The planet system discovered by the late Doctor Nguyen Montocini in the TTR faceted search for the planet Zonama Sekot. It’s location was kept secret to all but the doctor and his now dead team and Kamon himself. Well, except for the people manning it. Even after the fall of the old Tholatin Republic, Alatar Prime continued to function as a research center for the Helion Project. Several hundred displaced soldiers had also seemingly gotten there by some miraculous event. Kamon believed the scientists on their supply runs picked them up. Very strenuous supply runs do to all the tricks used to throw off pursuit.

The only data on the planets location was stored in the navigation drive of the Hope and the scientists Monolithe. Both vessels were personal craft use for private means. The Monolithe was an old YT-1300 with smuggling compartments installed for hiding dangerous equipment. Despite the room used for storing the equipment and materials, some of the scientists must have smuggled along enough troops to make up a garrison of 300 soldiers. That might come in handy in the future. Especially if the Helion Project, in its last stages of development, was completed successfully.

Not only would it bring about a new form of power to be harnessed by this possible new galactic faction hidden in the unknowns, but it could provide some potential for newer weaponry as well. All of this would aid in his fight against the enemy and all of those that aided them. Being designed in secret would give them a great advantage in the first battle. Of course as it went down the line, the enemy would gain greater knowledge as to the devastation of the weapons and be able to format strategies for combating it.


Knowing this didn't stop the scientists from working on the project nor would it deter Kamon from keeping it going. Having only recently arrived after Kessel, he was still in a weaker state. It didn't keep him from walking around the facility and speaking with the survivors of the old TTP. Nor did it keep him from making the orders for two more yards to be built to assist the one that had been completed. The Admiral needed a fine fleet if he was going to make the Confederacy a contending faction. They were also going to need some more people. This, though, was also being worked on as more room was added to the underground facility and a few purchased ships brought in more people. It was safe to say Kamon was pleased with the progress.

"So far so good. Let's keep it that way."

The circular command center of the facility buzzed with hectic activity of any installation trying to keep itself maintained. Standing at the center of it all was a tall, muscular chiss dressed in what could be considered a uniform. He wore a white long-sleeved tunic with red stripes on it along with red pants and black boots. The tunic did little to hide the chiss' physcial build as he stood there with his large arms across his chest as he listened to incoming reports from the teams helping to keep this base running.

"Admiral, team twelve reports trouble in tunnel seven. They apparently struck an ore pocket, what are your orders?" an officer asked as he turned toward the chiss.

Cynic Pariah looked calmly at the displays relaying the reports and sighed silently. He still couldn't grasp the concept of being called Admiral, especially when most of those around him were human. What would make them follow the orders of a blue skinned alien besides the fact that he was a very intimidating figure.

Simple, they aren't Imperials and thus aren't xenophobic

Cynic smiled at that thought, pleased that someone was acutally willing to employ him, even though he was now responsible for the actions of a resistance movement's currently meager naval forces. He heaved a large sigh and finally placed his full attention on the task at hand. He looked calmly at the man who had spoken.

"Have them scan for the area around them for ore concentration and report back," Cynic ordered calmly before turning his attention towards other reports.

The base's need for continual expansion, while not necessarily Cynic's chief duty was something he occupied himself with by helping to manage it. They needed a lot of space for their operations as well as to aid in the development of the Helion project. That project was something Cynic himself had some interest in due to its military applications if they could get the technology working correctly.

"Sir, should we report this delay to Kamon?" one of the other officers asked.

"Yes, also tell him we're trying to solve the sitatuion," Cynic replied.

The man nodded and turned back towards his station. As he went back to work, Cynic stepped down from the raised command dais and began to walk amongst the stations, reading over the shoulders of officers and base personnel. He preferred to do this, since it made the men and women under his command feel more like equals rather than his inferiors. It also gave Cynic a better look at what was going on then rather then simply relying on their word alone.

"Sir, team twelve reports that the ore is more or less concentrated in just that pocket. What are your orders?" the officer asked.

"Dig around it. We can just dig a chamber out from around it and then process it for resources," Cynic replied.

The office gave a nod and quickly relayed the orders to the team that had been forced to deal with the dilemma of of ore pocket, something no one would even want to try to drill through without the proper preparation. With that little situation dealt with, Cynic pulled a chrono out of his pocket and checked the time. He then drew his second in command's attention.

"Captain Platus, I'm going to be in my office. If something arrises, please inform me."

Captain Platus nodded which was all Cynic needed before stepping out of the command center and walking down the corridors towards his own office. He entered it calmly and pulled out a ration pack and began to eat his meal. He found it easier to eat simple meals because something could go wrong at any time and he might need to rush to the command center.

Alatar. Just hearing the name raised question marks in his head. He knew close t nothing about the planet. Or the region it was in. But then that was to be expected he thought. This was the Unknown Regions. All he knew was that this underground complex was to be his new home. And he'd better get used to it. Fast.

He had spent the day on a self guided tour of the facilities. As the Captain of the Cortogen Guard, there were very few areas restricted to him. He doubted, however, that he would find anything terribly intriguing on the first day that he shouldn't have known about. It seemed that the complex was focused around the laboratories and the construction yards.

He's definitely up to something... Kenshin mused quietly to himself as he watched the experiments being conducted below from a suspended bridge of durasteel. And from the looks of it, it involves blowing things up.

But Kamon's thoughts of revenge hardly came to him as a surprise. Even if Kamon himself, hadn't liked the idea of striking back, those people left from the devestation on Tholatin probably did. Whether it was a time of peace or a time of war, a Prince has to lead his people. And a Cortogen Guard has to follow his Prince.

Glancing at his datapad, he scrolled through his schedule. It was predominately empty as he didn't like working with one. He usually got to everything his own way. However he did find some interesting data Brand had sent him. It seemed that there was an Admiral around the place he should know about. Some new chiss guy. Well, if this guy was an Admiral, obviously Kamon thought highly of him and chances were, he'd be okay with the guy as well.

But first, off to find Kamon. Still recovering from his experiences on Kessel, he probably should have been in the Medical Wing. But Kenshin knew better than to start there. Neither he or Kamon stayed in an infirmary longer than they deemed necessary. And what they deemed necessary tended to be much shorter then what doctors' precribe.

"An ore pocket you say? This is very good. Very good indeed. It is possible that this planet has large ore deposits that could become very valuable to our military enterprise. Tell them to do what the Admiral said and then send a mining team."

"Yes, sir. Team Alpha has reported the finishing of mining in sector five and has requested permission to pursue this pocket."

"That's fine. Tell them they have my approval to do so."

"Yes, sir."

Kamon pocketed his comlink and continued to walk down the hall. No destination was really apparent on his mind. It seemed he was content with just walking along and waiting for someone to bump into him that he wished to speak with. There was a lot to talk about with all the planning they had to do. The Black Dragon Empire had a price on their heads whether they knew it or not. For the destruction of their Protectorate, and for allowing the Empire to stick their noses into a private war. And that nose had killed an innocent child right in front of Kamon's face. Thing's like that could not be tolerated.

Anyone that had the guts, or the nerve, to kill an innocent little child who had done nothing, deserved to have his blood spilled upon the already bloody ground of the galaxy. Kamon would not sit aside and let heinous crimes like that be commited to blatantly. Revenge was a dangerous ally, but also a potent one. Sometime soon, the enemy, whoever it may be at the time, will feel the sting of the Confederacy's bite. The White Dragon will conquer all enemies. No matter the size difference, no matter how undermatched, they would find and fight a way to victory. It was their duty to do so.

As he rounded a corner, he nearly bowled over an old friend. The man responsible for the safe-keeping of his daughter, and one time leader of the elite Protectorate troops known as the Royal Phalanx Guard Corp, Kenshin Katarn. Kenshin was in charge of the Cortogen guard, the soldiers responsible for the well-being of all high-born Tholatinians like him and his daughter. Although kamon himself refused their guard, he forced Amarie to let them guard her.

"Sorry Kenshin. Lost track of where I was going."

Well, it would seem that luck was with him today. It was only after a mere ten minutes before he was almost mauled over by the man he sought as he prepared to round a corner. Skipping back a step from mild surprise, he could only manage to laugh as Kamon gave him a quick apology for not noticing his surroundings.

"It's okay." Kenshin replied with an amused chuckle. "Apparently I wasn't looking that intently either."

"So, you feeling any better?" He ventured to ask as he fell into step beside his friend. It felt as if the complex didn't rest. People bustled about the halls, the working jargon as well as the vernacular thrown back and forth mingled with the sound of machines that filled the atmosphere. There was almost a heartbeat, as if the building itself was alive.

Though the Prince had refused the protection of the Cortogen Guard, he couldn't refuse the protection of a friend. And so, whether he liked it or not, Kenshin would check on the man periodically throughout the day. He knew Kamon could take care of himself, but during times like these, it was better to be cautious.

Kamon nodded.

"For the most part. I have the distinct feeling that my escape has triggered the Black Dragons into hunting me. So, I'm going to turn over control of the Confederacy to the Admiral and my daughter. Those two, I believe, should be able to handle the leading of the group while I run Special Ops."

As they walked, Kamon noted everything he could about his underground surroundings. All of the medbays, all of the raid shelters, everything. The mess hall's, the training rooms, the troop areas. All of it had to be memorized by heart in the case of an emergency or an event similar to one. Even the smallest of errors could become very costly when they were under attack. Though their outpost was well hidden inside the unexplored territory, it was still close to the enemy. Word had reached them that Zonama Sekot had somehow been discovered and taken by the enemy as well.

"These are troubled times, Kenshin. Yesterday we received word that Zonama Sekot, the last true stronghold of the Protectorate had fallen to the Black Dragons as well. It seems that their strength is as of yet still growing. Soon they will be so like the Empire that there will be no stopping them from destroying us."

They passed through a set of durasteel blast doors and moved off towards the Dragon Den. The Admiral ran things from there, but according to one of his aides he was in his quarters. That was alright. Kamon didn't need to speak with the Chiss Admiral yet anyways. There was just a couple of things he needed to check up on. His daughter for instance. He needed to tell his daughter about the change in hands of the COnfederacy. She needed to know that she and Cynic were in charge.

"Let's head to the Dragon Den."

There wasn't much for Amarie to do yet today, slowly making her way around the majority of their new underground home. Well, most of it at any rate, for most of the digging she was not permitted into for safety reasons.

Considering all the risks that she took in getting her own father sprung from prison, it would only be fair that she'd do at least one thing that he'd want her to do anyways.

Making her way towards one the med-wing they placed him in, the growing feeling that something was not quite right grew, right up till she got approached by one of the attending medics, and told that her feeling was right.

Heading back through the tunnels, Amarie made her way towards the command center, varying people giving her wide berth, the not-too-please look upon her face telling them to not mess with the young girl in their midst.

"Why did I have the feeling you could only stay in bed only when tied down?" Amarie asked, knowing fully well that her peeved voice would reach the one in question.

Kenshin raised an eyebrow as Kamon explained his plan to leave Amarie and this Admiral Cynic in charge of their fledgling resurrection of an existence, leaving him open to lead the newly formed Special Ops group on his plans of revenge. He couldn't help but wonder if this decision was wise. Though the people's trust was starting to strengthen for his daughter, she was still quite young and quite new to leadership.

To have Kamon lure the enemy away was a good tactic in its own, but he was their Prince, and to have him go off at a time when the people were just beginning to reforge their grasp on the leadership he provided was probably a harsh move. Kenshin wondered just how well he trusted the new Chiss Admiral.

He pushed aside his thoughts as he listened to the news Kamon brought him. It seemed that Zonama Sekot had fallen just yesterday. It seemed like it was only a matter of time, Kenshin thought with a heavy sigh. The Black Dragon Empire hunted them relentlessly. But for what? Was it truely only because of Kamon? Or was it because they wanted an excuse to eliminate their oppressors? Surely the hunt for one man didn't require the capture of planets. Perhaps this plan Kamon devised was for the best...

"Let's head to the Dragon Den."

Kenshin only managed a slight nod in response as he silently followed his friend in the direction of the Dragon's Den. His head swam. So many things were happening at once, how were a mere handful of people supposed to handle it all? Authority was such a burden.

His mind then suddenly wandered to the thought of how Amarie would take the plan. Not without some fuss, that was to be sure. It would seem that she would have to lose her father again only a few weeks after she had worked so hard to get him back. Truely she was the one that would feel the biggest impact. She would be pushed into the way of government and politics once more. And this time, perhaps for good.

"Oh sweet mother of the Force. She's found us before I could find her. Oh well. Could have been worse. She could have sent your buddies after me and I'd have had to use the Force on them."

He smiled and shrugged as he turned to face the corner around which Amarie would soon be appearing. Surprise was an element which he did not currently have on his side. Nor was he hoping for it to have been on his side. He had a different idea entirely. As soon as she rounded that corner, Kamon was going to administer a test on Amarie which he was almost positive she would fail in her moment of heated anger. When she finally came around the corner, Kamon yanked her lightsaber away from her with the Force.

"You should really be more careful. What if I had been a sith disquising myself as me? You'd have fallen right into my trap and I'd have you right where I wanted you. Even though you are good with the Force, you are still no match for a Sith Knight or Master."

He smiled and tossed her lightsaber back to her.

"As for the tying down bit, you know I never stay anywhere for long. Especially a med bay."

A shriek of surprise escaped Amarie's lips, watching with an alarmed look upon her face as her own lightsaber flew through the air....and right into her father's hands.

Hearing her father's words, Amarie nodded, hanging her head as she realized it was thankfully just a test, and no more than that. Though, that didn't stop her from feeling bad.

Catching her blade once more, she gave her father a sheepish grin.

"I never said I was a good Jedi." she replied, shrugging her shoulders as she clipped her blade back onto her belt.