41
OOC Cantina / Re: Simming Discussion
« Last post by SWSF Eidolon on June 29, 2024, 10:05:40 PM »Just read it in recycle bin. Odd.
Deleted the member.
Hope it doesn't become a recurring thing..
Recent Posts
Just read it in recycle bin. Odd.
Deleted the member.
Hope it doesn't become a recurring thing..
42
OOC Cantina / Re: Simming Discussion
« Last post by Syren on June 29, 2024, 05:59:12 PM »We apparently have shit posters in here. That jackflapper guy registered and posted some insane stuff in my VE thread for some reason but I deleted it. FYI, Hop.
43
OOC Cantina / Re: The Acolyte (**Spoilers**)
« Last post by SWSF Eidolon on June 28, 2024, 08:09:34 PM »I think maybe it's all been intentionally kind of clumsy to this point. The nod to it being
When Qimir asked Mae, paraphrase when he's choke holding her, "didn't you know the whole time it was me? deep down in there?"
Darth Q speaks of a history of persecution already by the jedi, if he is not tied to the Witches somehow maybe a hidden secret boy from the two mothers experiemnts at creating life, or somehow rescues mae as a girl yet from there? Or then he was part of another community of unorthodox force users who met the same fate at the hands of the Jedi perhaps? He doesn't claim the sith mantle himself, so he just sees himself as a renegade using the force according to his rules. But how did he get so powerful in hiding up until now if he does not himself have a Master?
He calls Jecki, 'It' right after he kills her. Is it just an insult and would have been said if she were human, or is it personal and because she was not? Or possibly he speaks of her as It as a Jedi. Later he snaps Yords neck pretty effortlessly That is some It treatment...
Going back now and watching Ep II where Osha/Jedi use him to trap Mae and he cooperates (now we know manipulates).makes him seem much more sinister. Is funny he says to them when the spring on him 'please don't do that memory wipe thing or whatever you do to me'. Is that an MIB reference or is there some other instance of jedi wiping memories of people in canon?
Is interesting when Sol asks him why risk revealing himself he says he wants a pupil. But he does not see himself as a Sith, sooo, why does he want a pupil if not to use a tool to help him acquire and grow his power on a galactic scale?
44
OOC Cantina / Re: The Acolyte (**Spoilers**)
« Last post by Medivh on June 27, 2024, 10:33:13 AM »There seem to be a lot of loose ends and questions left.
First is the obvious - we KNOW Sol and the jedi with him did something the night of the fire. He's repeatedly said he'll "explain everything" and he feels guilty about something. THIS was the central question for the first 3 episodes, but it was kind of forgotten during the last two. Seeing the jedi as less than perfect fits nicely with the stories we have going on now here. That they are blinded to their own internal problems helps explains what they don't know and their eventual downfall generations later. But the story-telling ...
Second, we learned in the first episode that there is an effort to curb use of the force outside of the jedi order. That seemed to be what Qimir was referring to. I actually hated the line that the jedi would call him a sith. SITH hasn't been defined, the word dark side hasn't been used. Whether he is actually a sith or not, it was a stupid line. It doesn't bother me that much that there might be a "sith" around now - I don't think it hurts the all sacred canon (everyone on this forum used or uses Legends material, which has been declared non-canon anyways).
Here's a few lines I think would have been better:
"I'm what the jedi fear - someone not under their control"
Or more fleshed out:
"I'm like you. I have the force at my side. But unlike you, and your jedi, I see the full power of the Force. Generations ago, my people were cast out by the jedi centuries ago for daring to have ambition, for daring to use their power. Your history books would call them sith, wielders of the dark side of the force. And their knowledge has been passed down, generation to generation, master to apprentice (((or master to acolyte)), until me. You think I am the bad guy, but your self-righteousness is undeserved. You and your jedi are just as ambitious, just as power hungry, as me. I just don't pretend, like you do"
It's stil rubbing me the wrong way, the pacing, the dialogue. I feel like there is a good story here, but they are either rushing to tell it, or just assume certain knowledge, or don't care what we don't know. Even if there was a "big reveal" at the end, I don't think it will necessarily be earned.
First is the obvious - we KNOW Sol and the jedi with him did something the night of the fire. He's repeatedly said he'll "explain everything" and he feels guilty about something. THIS was the central question for the first 3 episodes, but it was kind of forgotten during the last two. Seeing the jedi as less than perfect fits nicely with the stories we have going on now here. That they are blinded to their own internal problems helps explains what they don't know and their eventual downfall generations later. But the story-telling ...
Second, we learned in the first episode that there is an effort to curb use of the force outside of the jedi order. That seemed to be what Qimir was referring to. I actually hated the line that the jedi would call him a sith. SITH hasn't been defined, the word dark side hasn't been used. Whether he is actually a sith or not, it was a stupid line. It doesn't bother me that much that there might be a "sith" around now - I don't think it hurts the all sacred canon (everyone on this forum used or uses Legends material, which has been declared non-canon anyways).
Here's a few lines I think would have been better:
"I'm what the jedi fear - someone not under their control"
Or more fleshed out:
"I'm like you. I have the force at my side. But unlike you, and your jedi, I see the full power of the Force. Generations ago, my people were cast out by the jedi centuries ago for daring to have ambition, for daring to use their power. Your history books would call them sith, wielders of the dark side of the force. And their knowledge has been passed down, generation to generation, master to apprentice (((or master to acolyte)), until me. You think I am the bad guy, but your self-righteousness is undeserved. You and your jedi are just as ambitious, just as power hungry, as me. I just don't pretend, like you do"
It's stil rubbing me the wrong way, the pacing, the dialogue. I feel like there is a good story here, but they are either rushing to tell it, or just assume certain knowledge, or don't care what we don't know. Even if there was a "big reveal" at the end, I don't think it will necessarily be earned.
45
OOC Cantina / Re: The Acolyte (**Spoilers**)
« Last post by Syren on June 26, 2024, 11:51:39 AM »We sure did! First time in canon, I believe since that originated in what is now considered legends. I know we've read about it and written about it but so cool to see it in live action.
Hats off to the choreography in this episode as that was quite action-packed.
Some thoughts...
The reveal - not shocking. What was shocking was those guns. I guess saber-wielding is good for delts and such.
Did not expect that level of massacre but they sure went there which lends itself to my theory that by the end of this the "Sith" may take out any Jedi with any knowledge of him and/or have it covered up by leadership so that by the time Ep 1 rolls around the Jedi Council are obscenely unaware - both of the growing Sith threat but also they are the ones who concealed it which led to their spectacular downfall.
Also, he never said he was a Sith only that the Jedi would reference someone like him as a Sith. If he doesn't consider him as such either he's not a fan of labels or is something else entirely. Still get a feeling he is the apprentice serving a master who has taken to fostering darkness in an acolyte.
The switch thing - not a bad plan as plans go, considering there is only one Jedi left on the hit list. That's one way to get close to one's target. However, wouldn't Sol sense this? I imagine her presence would not feel the same to him.
Lastly, lots of insinuation that the Jedi do bad things in the name of good. Curious to see what they actually did but also how the "Sith" is connected to it. Was it me or did he also seem to have a personal connection to it all? It would be strange for him to purely project on behalf of the twins but may be reading too deeply and he is trying to prove a larger, more insidious point about the Jedi.
Hats off to the choreography in this episode as that was quite action-packed.
Some thoughts...
The reveal - not shocking. What was shocking was those guns. I guess saber-wielding is good for delts and such.
Did not expect that level of massacre but they sure went there which lends itself to my theory that by the end of this the "Sith" may take out any Jedi with any knowledge of him and/or have it covered up by leadership so that by the time Ep 1 rolls around the Jedi Council are obscenely unaware - both of the growing Sith threat but also they are the ones who concealed it which led to their spectacular downfall.
Also, he never said he was a Sith only that the Jedi would reference someone like him as a Sith. If he doesn't consider him as such either he's not a fan of labels or is something else entirely. Still get a feeling he is the apprentice serving a master who has taken to fostering darkness in an acolyte.
The switch thing - not a bad plan as plans go, considering there is only one Jedi left on the hit list. That's one way to get close to one's target. However, wouldn't Sol sense this? I imagine her presence would not feel the same to him.
Lastly, lots of insinuation that the Jedi do bad things in the name of good. Curious to see what they actually did but also how the "Sith" is connected to it. Was it me or did he also seem to have a personal connection to it all? It would be strange for him to purely project on behalf of the twins but may be reading too deeply and he is trying to prove a larger, more insidious point about the Jedi.
46
OOC Cantina / Re: The Acolyte (**Spoilers**)
« Last post by Medivh on June 26, 2024, 11:27:13 AM »And last night, we got Cortosis armor :-)
47
OOC Cantina / Re: The Acolyte (**Spoilers**)
« Last post by Syren on June 23, 2024, 12:23:38 PM »Agree, Med. Something about the pacing and dialog is throwing me off.
When Mae abandons her quest and wants to turn herself in, that may have been a natural progression after realizing Osha is alive, but it did not feel earned. We've only known the character for three episodes in the present and one flashback so we haven't invested enough as an audience and she hasn't been fleshed out enough as a character for that turn to land. It's like GoT all over again and we got to spend seasons with Dani before the turn and that still didn't feel fleshed out enough - even if it was a foregone conclusion, audiences need to see/feel the progression for them to buy it.
For the whole 'it broke canon' thing with the Sith being present even though in Episode 1 the Jedi were like the Sith haven't been around in ages - that I buy. The Jedi have now been established as unreliable narrators. Look how quickly Vernestra was ready to cover up the current situation by not alerting the high council. So, they may have believed the Sith have been dormant but that is only because any Jedi who may have encountered them could have covered it up so they wouldn't know and eventually what led to their overarching hubris and downfall. I know people are like they are supposed to be the good guys and heroes and such, and that is not to say they aren't in their own little minds, but what I do love about the newer projects is that they add depth to that heroic narrative. It's not so black and white, despite their rigid code. They will go to just as great of lengths in the name of peace which secures their dominant presence but there is a flip side to that. The Sith are simply more forthcoming about what they want and the methods through which they will go to obtain it.
I've heard the name Smilo Ren being thrown around for the Sith which cracks me up.
If it is Qimir then why those four particular Jedi as targets? Unless he is only using Mae and her vendetta for some grander purpose? She has a reason to hate them if she knows what really went down - if they allegedly came in peace offering a choice then took Osha through orchestrated force and left Mae to die. I would be pissed too. I would be even more pissed if I discovered Osha was actually taken and didn't die as Mae had believed which would have driven that darkness and thirst for revenge. If the Sith is manipulating Mae, outside of wanting to generally undermine the Jedi, I wonder what the motive may be. Exposure? Creating doubt and eventual mistrust? Perhaps a more personal connection? I ultimately wonder if the Sith is the apprentice and the true Master is one of the mothers in the coven. We saw Aniseya's body but that doesn't mean she was dead. Sol pulled Osha away before she could reach her so who knows? Mother Korril seemed more aggressive toward the Jedi, knowing they created life using the force. Heard an interesting theory the Sith showed them how to do it and the Jedi getting that close would have revealed them to still be active which we know they were but in secret.
I will still see how it plays out but the pacing is still bothering me.
Funny story, one of the few people I follow on YouTube has a SW channel, Ek, who has a very distinctive Canadian voice. My husband was watching a hockey recap during the playoffs this year and I was like, "Is that Ek?" And he was like, "How do you know Ek?" And I was like, "How do you know Ek?". Turns out, Ek is both a massive Star Wars and hockey fan and we'd both been watching his separate channels for different things. It's the small things that bind a relationship, I tell ya.
When Mae abandons her quest and wants to turn herself in, that may have been a natural progression after realizing Osha is alive, but it did not feel earned. We've only known the character for three episodes in the present and one flashback so we haven't invested enough as an audience and she hasn't been fleshed out enough as a character for that turn to land. It's like GoT all over again and we got to spend seasons with Dani before the turn and that still didn't feel fleshed out enough - even if it was a foregone conclusion, audiences need to see/feel the progression for them to buy it.
For the whole 'it broke canon' thing with the Sith being present even though in Episode 1 the Jedi were like the Sith haven't been around in ages - that I buy. The Jedi have now been established as unreliable narrators. Look how quickly Vernestra was ready to cover up the current situation by not alerting the high council. So, they may have believed the Sith have been dormant but that is only because any Jedi who may have encountered them could have covered it up so they wouldn't know and eventually what led to their overarching hubris and downfall. I know people are like they are supposed to be the good guys and heroes and such, and that is not to say they aren't in their own little minds, but what I do love about the newer projects is that they add depth to that heroic narrative. It's not so black and white, despite their rigid code. They will go to just as great of lengths in the name of peace which secures their dominant presence but there is a flip side to that. The Sith are simply more forthcoming about what they want and the methods through which they will go to obtain it.
I've heard the name Smilo Ren being thrown around for the Sith which cracks me up.
If it is Qimir then why those four particular Jedi as targets? Unless he is only using Mae and her vendetta for some grander purpose? She has a reason to hate them if she knows what really went down - if they allegedly came in peace offering a choice then took Osha through orchestrated force and left Mae to die. I would be pissed too. I would be even more pissed if I discovered Osha was actually taken and didn't die as Mae had believed which would have driven that darkness and thirst for revenge. If the Sith is manipulating Mae, outside of wanting to generally undermine the Jedi, I wonder what the motive may be. Exposure? Creating doubt and eventual mistrust? Perhaps a more personal connection? I ultimately wonder if the Sith is the apprentice and the true Master is one of the mothers in the coven. We saw Aniseya's body but that doesn't mean she was dead. Sol pulled Osha away before she could reach her so who knows? Mother Korril seemed more aggressive toward the Jedi, knowing they created life using the force. Heard an interesting theory the Sith showed them how to do it and the Jedi getting that close would have revealed them to still be active which we know they were but in secret.
I will still see how it plays out but the pacing is still bothering me.
Funny story, one of the few people I follow on YouTube has a SW channel, Ek, who has a very distinctive Canadian voice. My husband was watching a hockey recap during the playoffs this year and I was like, "Is that Ek?" And he was like, "How do you know Ek?" And I was like, "How do you know Ek?". Turns out, Ek is both a massive Star Wars and hockey fan and we'd both been watching his separate channels for different things. It's the small things that bind a relationship, I tell ya.
48
OOC Cantina / Re: The Acolyte (**Spoilers**)
« Last post by SWSF Eidolon on June 21, 2024, 08:10:23 PM »Does the Force count as a weapon? If no maybe that is point to force her to grow powers? To kill with her anger?
We are due another flashback episode to show the Fortress demise from another angle, what was the witches final act? We don't really see exactly how they are all laid out in Destiny. Just the Osha escpaing, seeing power core explode and the chaos, her and Mae confronting, walkway crumbles, Sol saves osha, Mae falls and the way. If Mae survived, maybe not all witches died? Osha is then on ventilator. Lots of unexplained about Fortress/Witches demise yet?
Qimir is noted as having been a smuggler, worked for Hutts and trader of unique items. Unique items sound Sith Artifacty!
The Master himself must already know that Mae was a twin and her sister was alive.. and dark side masters are never not using their apprentices.. always manipulation
The Acolyte is singular but there are twin sisters, what would point of separated twins be if not to bring them together? but then to separate them again with one as the acolyte and one either not or dead? hmm.
We are due another flashback episode to show the Fortress demise from another angle, what was the witches final act? We don't really see exactly how they are all laid out in Destiny. Just the Osha escpaing, seeing power core explode and the chaos, her and Mae confronting, walkway crumbles, Sol saves osha, Mae falls and the way. If Mae survived, maybe not all witches died? Osha is then on ventilator. Lots of unexplained about Fortress/Witches demise yet?
Qimir is noted as having been a smuggler, worked for Hutts and trader of unique items. Unique items sound Sith Artifacty!
The Master himself must already know that Mae was a twin and her sister was alive.. and dark side masters are never not using their apprentices.. always manipulation
The Acolyte is singular but there are twin sisters, what would point of separated twins be if not to bring them together? but then to separate them again with one as the acolyte and one either not or dead? hmm.
49
OOC Cantina / Re: The Acolyte (**Spoilers**)
« Last post by Medivh on June 21, 2024, 11:54:01 AM »There's something about the pacing or the inconsistency in the acting that is irking me.
Mae seems all cool and mysterious in the first episode, when she kills a jedi, and then Osha sees some type of prophesy or vision that says Mae is alive, which at first, seemed like a message FROM Mae, but apparently wasn't, because Mae didn't know anything about it.
Osha hasn't had another vision since then, so ... it felt out of place
Jedi Wookiee? We saw him walking around, but never saw him do anything else. He's dead. So insignificant
Mae is too wishy-washy as "the acolyte" and Osha is too wishy-washy as the jedi-dropout. "She's my sister, but she's a murderer, but she's not my problem anymore" -
It's not clear what Osha's motivation is, or Mae's, or the jedi.
And it doesn't feel like it's part of the cliffhanger/mystery (like what really happened during the fire). It feels incomplete.
Also, the sith appearance - a bit too showy? It feels like that horror movie, where Dracula suddenly comes down from the sky. Is he trying to remain a secret, trying to kill the jedi, what?
A big outstanding question is what does it mean "kill a jedi without a weapon" - Apparently, that's very important to do. Because a weapon clearly includes any actual weapon, any form of violence, any tool or poison -including telling them they should drink poison to obtain forgiveness.
Mae seems all cool and mysterious in the first episode, when she kills a jedi, and then Osha sees some type of prophesy or vision that says Mae is alive, which at first, seemed like a message FROM Mae, but apparently wasn't, because Mae didn't know anything about it.
Osha hasn't had another vision since then, so ... it felt out of place
Jedi Wookiee? We saw him walking around, but never saw him do anything else. He's dead. So insignificant
Mae is too wishy-washy as "the acolyte" and Osha is too wishy-washy as the jedi-dropout. "She's my sister, but she's a murderer, but she's not my problem anymore" -
It's not clear what Osha's motivation is, or Mae's, or the jedi.
And it doesn't feel like it's part of the cliffhanger/mystery (like what really happened during the fire). It feels incomplete.
Also, the sith appearance - a bit too showy? It feels like that horror movie, where Dracula suddenly comes down from the sky. Is he trying to remain a secret, trying to kill the jedi, what?
A big outstanding question is what does it mean "kill a jedi without a weapon" - Apparently, that's very important to do. Because a weapon clearly includes any actual weapon, any form of violence, any tool or poison -including telling them they should drink poison to obtain forgiveness.
50
Star Wars: The Crimson Covenant / Re: CC: Corporate Greed
« Last post by Syren on June 19, 2024, 08:09:22 PM »“Yeah, she’s a death wish
I don’t think we’re ever gonna fix this
Backtrack ‘til we’re dancing on the kill switch
What’s the point of praying for the wicked?
Don’t think that I wanna know.”
-Vampire Disco
Corporate Sector
Etti IV: Surface: Mondder
Gemma fades from view.
So. A spy in the mix, and a dead one at that.
He replays the message several times in his father’s office. She looks harder now, even as an ethereal hologram. Her words are sharper and in a tone he did not hear very often growing up – the crispness of Gemma at the end of her rope. She must really have seen some shit, Dane thinks as he absently grips the chair. She tells him to be careful, and to trust sparingly, but the subtext is there.
Watch your back.
Shendo and Taarek are the ones he knows littlest about with Demaris closer in social proximity and Roman a true bro. It was the quiet one that got them, Gemma said. Off to the side but always with a front-row seat. They aren’t an overly talkative bunch, but he hasn’t seen or heard anything that would rouse suspicion yet. Dane knows Gemma has legit problems with the Jedi that cut deeper than bone and cross into an existential whatever so he contemplates options. Could one of those assigned to protect them be a plant and killer? An agent of the prophecy, a term they had so ominously spoken aloud earlier? He shudders to think.
The simple chirp of his com jolts him back into reality. The meds are ready. Irulan says she will have them sent up but Dane declines.
He would pick them up himself.
In the lift, he chews the tip of his thumb. Something Demaris said stuck with him. The Force vaccine could have saved a lot of lives. If they had flooded the markets, perhaps the Jedi would not be down to such a small number. Hunted, slain, and scattered. Those that remain…if they remain. Normally this passing comment would not have cut as deep yet the sentiment lingers for an uncomfortably long time. Despite her inclinations now, Demaris is one of them. She came from this sociopathic corporate scene so she would know that if they did not flood the market there was generally a self-serving reason why.
This was merely a polite way of making him aware of it - and he does not appreciate it.
Xemena has gone home for the day but Irulan still toils away in her office. As always, she looks impossibly poised with features that signal concern as part of her primary programming. Impressive elements of the person she once was. She tosses him the bag of pills that he snatches from the air on the way to one of the statement chairs positioned as an audience in front of her massive desk. Being an executive was definitely her thing.
“Thanks for the meds.”
“You came down here to tell me that?”
“I needed a little walk. Also, Gemma was attacked. One of the Force-sensitive refugees turned out to be evil. She was injured but thankfully saved by Riley’s…aunt. Apparently, our family tree is pretty wild. It was, from what I gather, a whole thing. Given she sent a security contingent our way, she wanted us to be aware. Consider this something of a debrief.”
Irulan folds her hands in front of her, “I am pleased to hear she is okay although the circumstances are certainly troubling. Considering Alka’s recent brush with death, I’d say that puts the threat level higher than it has been.”
“It does feel like an escalation.”
“What do you plan to do about it?”
“Still deciding. I may be skeptical of the Jedi ways but I do not feel Demaris would intentionally put us in danger.”
“Unless she is unaware of the danger amongst you. The Jedi seem to have a habit of being blind to the things that are right in front of them. You may want to broach that with her to be sure.”
“Good call,” Dane muses with a shrug. “She’s fairly reasonable…for an Atrii.”
“The Atrii’s are flakes. Powerful flakes and some of the oldest money here but flakes none the less. Even I see the irony in Demaris shrugging off their family privilege to serve the Jedi but I do not need a mystical energy force to know that is not why you really came here.”
“No, it’s not.”
He holds up the pills, shaking them lightly for effect.
“The reason so many Force-sensitives were identified when it all went down in the Republic was due to a lack of options. Our vaccine, a potentially life-saving drug that would have allowed them to avoid detection and escape, was nowhere to be found. I dunno, I just feel like…we could have done more.”
“We could have,” Irulan replies coldly after a significant pause. “But we didn’t.”
Dane goes there, “Intentionally.”
“When you came to me with the diversification pitch, surely you realized that would require investment. By restricting certain supplies, the prices fetched for such a drug netted a substantial sum and drove up our value across the most strategic markets. It also created the liquid capital used to acquire Palace Arms outright and further diversify our holdings in companies like Dawning Enterprises among others. This is not a new practice and restrictions around the Force vaccine supply were authorized by me after the Jedi were expelled from Chandaar in anticipation of future diversification efforts to ensure we had ample capital to do so when the time came."
She rises and rounds the desk with menacing precision.
“Where do you think all those credits came from, Dane? I certainly did not conjure them out of thin air.”
“I get it but did we, uh, happen to enable genocide in the process?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! The Republic Speaker did that. We merely profited from it. Significantly, if I may say so. Someone would. They always do. Do you now have a problem with that, given all you have and stand to gain?”
“No. Well, not…entirely but-”
“But nothing. You may have known it before – peripherally, perhaps - but now I see that you understand. It is something you and Alka will need to get over. Everything has a price. On that point, Rutherford Gellar was perfectly clear. He may have lost Abra, Blair, and Valerie, but he had Celeste, Gemma, and you.”
“The great karmic wash.”
Irulan sighs, easing down into the chair beside him.
“You know that is not what it was. Rutherford and Celeste made terrible choices based on a promise manipulated by a duplicitous, megalomaniacal brute and they both suffered dearly for it. Your father may have known he would not be able to protect you from it entirely but he did set you up to be a true contender.
You swore you were proceeding with this contingency to avoid any further generations suffering the fates of The Four. It did not please me but I agreed and summoned Doctor Maumbile who is, at this very moment, cloning three of you far below the monolith we are sitting on top of having this conversation. We must do our part. Do not tell me you are having reservations now.”
“A bit late for that,” he mutters.
“Exactly. Do not get yourself lost in the details. Your father tasked me with that. The focus must remain on your appearance for the Direx Board and the public. Ethos goes a long way and your name carries a certain cache. You may have been nominated to serve on that board but that does not mean there are not enemies in every other chair around that table. This may also be an elaborate trap, one that the likes of the Imperial liaison and others will look to capitalize on. You and Alka must stay alert.”
“Someone knows. About the lie.”
Irulan waves away the notion, “Knowing about the lie does not necessarily mean they know the truth. Without corroboration, everything is hearsay. Pure speculation. These are things that can be spun to our advantage.”
“It could be enough for them to reconsider, make us both targets. I can’t do that to Alka.”
She grows quiet for a moment, eyes drifting to the windows as nightfall deepens over the city.
“Not an option. That is an inevitable burden for any heirs born into this world. An heir is the promise of a future, a continuation, and an extension of power and wealth unto the generations unfolding before it. It is its own form of capital, untoward as that may sound, which is why the loss of one – Aguilar, Corinthos, Kincaid – inflicts a different kind of damage. Not just the loss of a child but the loss of that promise and the future it holds.”
She smiles, something almost wistful, but there is something more sinister beneath it. The reason she was Rutherford Gellar’s right hand.
“The fundamental truth here is that their losses are our gain. The fewer the heirs, the less likely they will be able to maintain their grip on power over time. Not all can stomach these brutal realities but we must. This is the price for profit, and our endeavor needs multiple revenue streams to function both publicly and privately while protecting us from the raiders always waiting just outside the corporate compound gates. I need to know you can do this, Dane.”
A bit harsh, if he is being honest but he gets the point.
The deal with the Empire, involving Kaytt after everything, virtually sacrificing Janessa and Kier, handing the Direx Board a familiar villain to exact retribution upon, "handling" their would-be blackmailer; everything in the name of the almighty bottom line. Shareholder value, etc. The thing is…he is not sure he is quite that far gone. But what does feeling bad about it get him? It doesn’t change anything and there is value in scarcity.
The Jedi are a rare commodity now. They have something many do not and can use that to topple the Voss-Ra or leverage their expertise to dispatch the person who knows about the lie and buy them enough time to pull off the contingency. Demaris may be right about needing to mitigate the damage from the prophecy any way they could which means there would be difficult choices. Ones they would have to make based on what best served the outcome they favor. Dying is still not his preferred option but there would be a smug satisfaction popping up after the fact and sticking it to Dahlia like, surprise, bitch! Gellar in the house! Spite alone may make it worth it even with the added Sith element attached to a Winton victory.
Not their problem. At least not yet.
Irulan does not relent, “Can you do this?”
Dane’s dark eyes go blank as he leans back and flashes an easy smile.
“Yes, I can.”
-TBC
I don’t think we’re ever gonna fix this
Backtrack ‘til we’re dancing on the kill switch
What’s the point of praying for the wicked?
Don’t think that I wanna know.”
-Vampire Disco
Corporate Sector
Etti IV: Surface: Mondder
Gemma fades from view.
So. A spy in the mix, and a dead one at that.
He replays the message several times in his father’s office. She looks harder now, even as an ethereal hologram. Her words are sharper and in a tone he did not hear very often growing up – the crispness of Gemma at the end of her rope. She must really have seen some shit, Dane thinks as he absently grips the chair. She tells him to be careful, and to trust sparingly, but the subtext is there.
Watch your back.
Shendo and Taarek are the ones he knows littlest about with Demaris closer in social proximity and Roman a true bro. It was the quiet one that got them, Gemma said. Off to the side but always with a front-row seat. They aren’t an overly talkative bunch, but he hasn’t seen or heard anything that would rouse suspicion yet. Dane knows Gemma has legit problems with the Jedi that cut deeper than bone and cross into an existential whatever so he contemplates options. Could one of those assigned to protect them be a plant and killer? An agent of the prophecy, a term they had so ominously spoken aloud earlier? He shudders to think.
The simple chirp of his com jolts him back into reality. The meds are ready. Irulan says she will have them sent up but Dane declines.
He would pick them up himself.
In the lift, he chews the tip of his thumb. Something Demaris said stuck with him. The Force vaccine could have saved a lot of lives. If they had flooded the markets, perhaps the Jedi would not be down to such a small number. Hunted, slain, and scattered. Those that remain…if they remain. Normally this passing comment would not have cut as deep yet the sentiment lingers for an uncomfortably long time. Despite her inclinations now, Demaris is one of them. She came from this sociopathic corporate scene so she would know that if they did not flood the market there was generally a self-serving reason why.
This was merely a polite way of making him aware of it - and he does not appreciate it.
Xemena has gone home for the day but Irulan still toils away in her office. As always, she looks impossibly poised with features that signal concern as part of her primary programming. Impressive elements of the person she once was. She tosses him the bag of pills that he snatches from the air on the way to one of the statement chairs positioned as an audience in front of her massive desk. Being an executive was definitely her thing.
“Thanks for the meds.”
“You came down here to tell me that?”
“I needed a little walk. Also, Gemma was attacked. One of the Force-sensitive refugees turned out to be evil. She was injured but thankfully saved by Riley’s…aunt. Apparently, our family tree is pretty wild. It was, from what I gather, a whole thing. Given she sent a security contingent our way, she wanted us to be aware. Consider this something of a debrief.”
Irulan folds her hands in front of her, “I am pleased to hear she is okay although the circumstances are certainly troubling. Considering Alka’s recent brush with death, I’d say that puts the threat level higher than it has been.”
“It does feel like an escalation.”
“What do you plan to do about it?”
“Still deciding. I may be skeptical of the Jedi ways but I do not feel Demaris would intentionally put us in danger.”
“Unless she is unaware of the danger amongst you. The Jedi seem to have a habit of being blind to the things that are right in front of them. You may want to broach that with her to be sure.”
“Good call,” Dane muses with a shrug. “She’s fairly reasonable…for an Atrii.”
“The Atrii’s are flakes. Powerful flakes and some of the oldest money here but flakes none the less. Even I see the irony in Demaris shrugging off their family privilege to serve the Jedi but I do not need a mystical energy force to know that is not why you really came here.”
“No, it’s not.”
He holds up the pills, shaking them lightly for effect.
“The reason so many Force-sensitives were identified when it all went down in the Republic was due to a lack of options. Our vaccine, a potentially life-saving drug that would have allowed them to avoid detection and escape, was nowhere to be found. I dunno, I just feel like…we could have done more.”
“We could have,” Irulan replies coldly after a significant pause. “But we didn’t.”
Dane goes there, “Intentionally.”
“When you came to me with the diversification pitch, surely you realized that would require investment. By restricting certain supplies, the prices fetched for such a drug netted a substantial sum and drove up our value across the most strategic markets. It also created the liquid capital used to acquire Palace Arms outright and further diversify our holdings in companies like Dawning Enterprises among others. This is not a new practice and restrictions around the Force vaccine supply were authorized by me after the Jedi were expelled from Chandaar in anticipation of future diversification efforts to ensure we had ample capital to do so when the time came."
She rises and rounds the desk with menacing precision.
“Where do you think all those credits came from, Dane? I certainly did not conjure them out of thin air.”
“I get it but did we, uh, happen to enable genocide in the process?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! The Republic Speaker did that. We merely profited from it. Significantly, if I may say so. Someone would. They always do. Do you now have a problem with that, given all you have and stand to gain?”
“No. Well, not…entirely but-”
“But nothing. You may have known it before – peripherally, perhaps - but now I see that you understand. It is something you and Alka will need to get over. Everything has a price. On that point, Rutherford Gellar was perfectly clear. He may have lost Abra, Blair, and Valerie, but he had Celeste, Gemma, and you.”
“The great karmic wash.”
Irulan sighs, easing down into the chair beside him.
“You know that is not what it was. Rutherford and Celeste made terrible choices based on a promise manipulated by a duplicitous, megalomaniacal brute and they both suffered dearly for it. Your father may have known he would not be able to protect you from it entirely but he did set you up to be a true contender.
You swore you were proceeding with this contingency to avoid any further generations suffering the fates of The Four. It did not please me but I agreed and summoned Doctor Maumbile who is, at this very moment, cloning three of you far below the monolith we are sitting on top of having this conversation. We must do our part. Do not tell me you are having reservations now.”
“A bit late for that,” he mutters.
“Exactly. Do not get yourself lost in the details. Your father tasked me with that. The focus must remain on your appearance for the Direx Board and the public. Ethos goes a long way and your name carries a certain cache. You may have been nominated to serve on that board but that does not mean there are not enemies in every other chair around that table. This may also be an elaborate trap, one that the likes of the Imperial liaison and others will look to capitalize on. You and Alka must stay alert.”
“Someone knows. About the lie.”
Irulan waves away the notion, “Knowing about the lie does not necessarily mean they know the truth. Without corroboration, everything is hearsay. Pure speculation. These are things that can be spun to our advantage.”
“It could be enough for them to reconsider, make us both targets. I can’t do that to Alka.”
She grows quiet for a moment, eyes drifting to the windows as nightfall deepens over the city.
“Not an option. That is an inevitable burden for any heirs born into this world. An heir is the promise of a future, a continuation, and an extension of power and wealth unto the generations unfolding before it. It is its own form of capital, untoward as that may sound, which is why the loss of one – Aguilar, Corinthos, Kincaid – inflicts a different kind of damage. Not just the loss of a child but the loss of that promise and the future it holds.”
She smiles, something almost wistful, but there is something more sinister beneath it. The reason she was Rutherford Gellar’s right hand.
“The fundamental truth here is that their losses are our gain. The fewer the heirs, the less likely they will be able to maintain their grip on power over time. Not all can stomach these brutal realities but we must. This is the price for profit, and our endeavor needs multiple revenue streams to function both publicly and privately while protecting us from the raiders always waiting just outside the corporate compound gates. I need to know you can do this, Dane.”
A bit harsh, if he is being honest but he gets the point.
The deal with the Empire, involving Kaytt after everything, virtually sacrificing Janessa and Kier, handing the Direx Board a familiar villain to exact retribution upon, "handling" their would-be blackmailer; everything in the name of the almighty bottom line. Shareholder value, etc. The thing is…he is not sure he is quite that far gone. But what does feeling bad about it get him? It doesn’t change anything and there is value in scarcity.
The Jedi are a rare commodity now. They have something many do not and can use that to topple the Voss-Ra or leverage their expertise to dispatch the person who knows about the lie and buy them enough time to pull off the contingency. Demaris may be right about needing to mitigate the damage from the prophecy any way they could which means there would be difficult choices. Ones they would have to make based on what best served the outcome they favor. Dying is still not his preferred option but there would be a smug satisfaction popping up after the fact and sticking it to Dahlia like, surprise, bitch! Gellar in the house! Spite alone may make it worth it even with the added Sith element attached to a Winton victory.
Not their problem. At least not yet.
Irulan does not relent, “Can you do this?”
Dane’s dark eyes go blank as he leans back and flashes an easy smile.
“Yes, I can.”
-TBC