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« Last post by Syren on March 01, 2025, 05:01:45 PM »
“There’s a whole lotta grudges
That I can’t even keep up
I wish that I understood
But I cannot get my head around it.”
-Faye Meana
Corporate Sector
Etti IV: Mondder
Dane Gellar rubs his hands together in the brisk air as he waits outside the administration building.
The mottled, overcast sky gives off a foreboding vibe he tries not to let unnerve him. It is not long before Alka’s shuttle touches down. She exits flanked by Avinarius and Shendo to join him as he turns and walks toward the entrance, Demaris and Taarek stand near as sentries. Her delicate features are tight so he keeps his voice low.
“That bad, huh?”
Apparently, the Legal Division is not playing around. A charge of one Direx killing another, especially when the slain was the highest-ranking financial officer in Cybot Galactic, has drawn significant attention and scrutiny. The company is one of the most vital to the Sector with heavy investment from many prominent factions. Controversy surrounding Dyre’s death destabilized momentum and compromised their reputation. Shareholders are obviously furious.
The days of capitulating for fickle Imperial Moffs and self-righteous Republic ambassadors may be long over, but they know who lines their pockets. Opposing counsel had punctuated their opening with what Alka describes as malicious slander that painted D’Ken Dawning as angry and unstable. Dane suppresses a smile – Dawning was certainly angry, but he was far from unstable. They allege Finnius Dyre only wanted justice for his son, but Dawning wanted him to drop it. When he wouldn’t, dragging his name into the shadow of suspicion, they allege Dawning ordered him to be silenced and staged the grisly scene to make himself out to be a victim and potential target.
Her father’s counsel tried to sow doubt early by reminding everyone that the Chiss were implicated in the murder of Preston Dyre, which was corroborated by his daughter, Dane Gellar, and the Empire. Dyre was making enemies everywhere in his accusations that there were deeper threads to Preston’s murder and eventually accused the wrong person who murdered him – but that person wasn’t D’Ken Dawning. Dawning, they claim, was only looking out for him, and more broadly the company, in urging him to make peace with banishment and exile of the Chiss who took his son from him.
“It was excruciating. This is only the beginning. It’s going to get ugly.”
He sighs, “Probably. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, yeah. Everyone’s sorry. We’re in this mess now.”
They enter the building and make their way through the tunnels to the base of the grand conference hall. It is a joyless, functional place. One that Dane never liked when his father brought him on occasion. Their security would have to wait here as only Direx’s are allowed up in the inner sanctum. The trial may be weighing on everyone, but it is only amplified by someone out there knowing they lied. If it were another Direx, this could be a relatively truncated tenure on the board.
The most logical assumptions are Dyre, Corinthos, and Aguilar. With Dyre dead, Aguilar doesn’t seem like the type to sit on this. He would want justice dealt swiftly, knowing it wouldn’t bring back his son, but may afford him a measure of closure. Corinthos has lost not one but two daughters. Kaytt made a lot of enemies in the Republic, not that it excuses or justifies her untimely fate, but Trichelle was clearly caught in the crossfire. Collateral damage in someone else’s fight. Promising lives cut short, etc., etc. Both had a connection to The Four, which Corinthos is not likely to let go of. Would he go to such lengths to toy with them? Corinthos stands to gain from their destruction, as does Aguilar, but the methods are far less direct than they are used to. Direx’s historically do not favor psychological warfare - not when there are more satisfying and enriching ways to exact retribution. It adds a layer of tension to their membership, but they would have to play the game.
Dane gives Alka a small smile as they ascend, appearing behind the vast table, and moving to take their seats. There are murmurs and stares on their arrival. New blood with tainted legacies, as if anyone here is better. He does his best to keep his face neutral. Burke Pallus, the Imperial liaison, nods to them a few seats away. The Empire had covered for them, legitimized their story. It was a gesture of faith but one that no doubt would come with strings. It is only a matter of time.
For the most part, the meeting mercifully proceeds as expected. It opens with action item follow-ups from their previous session, something they both needed to catch up on quickly, before moving on to quarterly budget discussions. There are windfalls here, a slip in sales there. Shifting galactic politics that require adjustments and consideration. All rather mundane. Dane reports on profitability and strategy in his various sectors, supplied in succinct detail by Irulan. Alka comes out the gates swinging and proposes the reallocation of funding to strengthen arts and culture opportunities, suggesting a path through adversity in engaging with their communities.
D’Ken’s trial, Dyre’s absence, and the loss of several Sector heirs are not far from anyone’s minds nor are some of the more aggressive Direx’s keen on allowing the daughter of a potential murderer to tell them they need to relax. There is grumbling that such an investment may be a waste. She provides figures and margins from productions and events over the past twelve months, a clear indication there is strong interest and potential for diversification and worthwhile returns should they be open to it.
It quiets some of the louder detractors, but others remain resistant. Corinthos seems to simmer in unnerving silence while Pallus apprises the potential scope of her newfound influence. Aguilar appears more receptive to the idea as his family has been patrons of the dance company and other artistic ventures over the years. He urges others to find balance in their lives, personally as well as professionally. Speaking as someone who suffered a significant loss in Ples, his words do not fall on deaf ears. Dane is impressed and the board earmarks it for further discussion before moving on.
Below, Demaris Atrii steps away and finally takes the call from Riley Patten.
He has made several attempts over the past hour and only now is she able to address it. He briefly recaps what happened in the Corellian Sector and asks if everything is okay. She assures him that it is, for now, not skirting over the issues at hand. It is as under control as it can be. She is pleased to know her brother survived, even with the extent of his injuries not fully known, but her heart breaks for the loss of Sirona. It hits her almost as hard as the news about Oz and Lysette, but she has fortified herself somewhat at the possibility of greater loss after Alka’s grim outburst. Riley asks what she knew would come next.
“What about Shendo?”
The last of their Force-sensitive refugees with his saber clipped to his belt and Tehk’la blade tucked behind him. Skeptical, but willing. Capable. They may not know him well, but she is not fooling herself when she considers the trust they forged in their time together.
“He has not shown any overt signs of being psychically assaulted or controlled.”
“Neither did Lysette.”
The comment stings but she maintains an even tone, “I imagine the same can be said about Sirona until she was in the right place to strike. This is tactical, Riley, but we should not be quick to turn on one another. They are counting on division as a distraction.”
“That doesn’t mean Shendo didn’t end up with all of you for a reason too.”
Dane made a similar reference, something she has been replaying in her mind ever since their conversation. Many refugees were fleeing the capital when they all came together. It was chaos. Taarek was able to escape with twelve and bring them to the house on Viperii Lake where they waited and comforted one another through training and meditation until they could figure out what came next. His contact, Antaro, escorted the others to a safe house in the Outer Rim, which left Lysette, Oz, Shendo, and Sirona in their care. They were angry, frightened, and forced to run again when their posh hideout was discovered. The details of that split remain hazy in her mind. Had Taarek and Antaro made that decision? Or had Lysette intervened there as well? So much was happening then and so much had happened since that she is not sure she trusts her ability to recall with absolute certainty.
The insinuation remains: is someone waiting for Shendo to move into position? Each of the refugees ended up in a different group when they separated. Was this their own choice, as it appeared at the time, or something more? They may have all been positioned in some way, agents of the prophecy, unwitting or not. The prospect makes her stomach sink, but Demaris does not allow herself to spiral. She believes giving in to conspiracy and paranoia would do more harm than good but admits to herself that Sirona’s message to her brother, through the mysterious woman who destroyed Centerpoint, was likely a warning.
“No,” she says softly, eyes shifting to the Nagai standing alert near the lift. “I suppose it doesn't. We will remain vigilant.”
“Be careful, Demaris. It is growing more difficult to tell who is influencing what, but feel like we are playing right into everyone’s hands.”
With the prophecy revealed to have been active for far longer than anyone realized, the Voss-Ra and their assorted acolytes exerting influence and inflicting terror, the assessment does not ring false. Their advantage in discovering the loop is minimal at best with the depth of planning and possible infiltration still largely out of their grasp. Uncontained. It is a dangerous place to be. Gemma’s fatalist plan, one that Dane and Riley have wildly agreed to, feels more defeatist than she is willing to accept at the moment. She believes there is more than one way to win.
“Keep faith and have hope, my friend. The game may be rigged but it is not over.”
-TBC
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