freedomliveson

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Thankfully we have a three day weekend coming up, so I'll be able to sort through all that sometime when I'm being a potato xD

You know, I feel like our posts are just naturally lengthening out due to how MUCH ground we have to cover now! Like you pointed out earlier, it's so funny to look at our earlier posts and see how our characters/posts evolved over time. It's really cool to see! I mean, we started with a simple tale of revenge and it's become...well, so massive that we might need to get additional software just to hold all our info!

Edit: Wait, snow? So cool! I missed snow on our trip up to Washington, but I suppose not having to shovel it is more than worth not seeing it XD

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

There we go! Finished!

Haha, yeah, that IS a lot. Will get you responses to that later today.

Also, finished my post and no worries on internet! Post whenever :)

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

Ahhhhh, so much goodness! Need to digest.

Also, don't peek! Still wrapping up.

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

-Several hours later-

The common area was stuffed to the gills with every single member of their motley crew, most of which looked exhausted beyond words, but maintaining hopeful optimism in light of the purpose of their assembly. After the diplomats had debated, argued, slammed fists against tables and gone through the normal motions of politicking, a treaty had been written up and signed by those in attendance. With the agreement in place, the Council was called in to approve the treaty, which they did with some modifications. Finally, everything was put in place and the war that had begun six months ago was officially over; the ramifications, however, would be felt throughout the galaxy for years. With the heaviness of what was to come, Neta thought it best to call a meeting for every person on base as a way of not only thanking them for their service, but informing them of the potentially bright future they could be a part of if they so chose. The pilot stood at the entrance to the base, back towards the assembling crowd as she looked out towards the lush wilderness. It was difficult to believe that she was so close to seeing her children again. She could be a mom. A full time mom. She chuckled at the thought just as someone came alongside her, nudging her gently.
"You look pensive." She smiled, nudging Yerbol back as she responded:
"Just thinking is all."
"About?"
"Not having to lift a blaster pistol for hopefully the rest of my life."
"So you think you're finished? Going to retire, riding off into the sunset on your frigid ship?" The Council members filtered in from various parts of the base to where Neta and Yerbol stood, the former patting him on the arm.
"That's the idea, honeybunch." She took a sharp inhale, exhaling just as forcefully before following up with:
"But first there's recognizing all these hard working men and women who fought for, you know, the galaxy's freedom."
"Right." Yerbol swallowed hard as he turned around, mumbling;
"You'd better give us a private goodbye." He thought he caught a shimmer in her right eye, but she wiped it away before retorting:
"I wouldn't want anything else." Smiling broadly at the group, she looked to her left and right, nodding in approval. The Council, Ari, Yerbol, Elara, Saresh, a few of the diplomats brought over to their cause...they all stood side by side in front of the gathering.

Time to say farewell.

"We've been through...well, hell. All of us. We've sacrificed everything for this cause, to ensure that the galaxy had a future to look forward to. With YOUR help, we made that reality." She paused for a moment, looking over the crowd with a rush of sentimentality.
"I know what it's like to give up everything you love to fight for a cause, to see your friends, people that worked with you side by side, sacrifice their very lives so that you could carry on their fight, so their sacrifices were not in vain. I stand in front of you now to tell you that you have shouldered their legacies in the best way possible. And I'm so, so proud of you all for that." She stepped forward a bit as she continued:
"Chancellor Saresh has authorized a memorial for all those who have fallen, monuments established on several worlds including this one, to help us remember the bold men and women who died to secure our future. While we carry their memories with us in our hearts, we must move forward, to ensure that when we reflect on our fallen friends, we can know that the galaxy actually IS being made a better place. The Chancellor, along with the Council, have drawn up measures to ensure that you all have a place to call home after this." On cue, the Chancellor began:
"Words cannot express how crippling, how devastating this conflict has been on the galaxy, on all of you. As a person elected to ensure that the people under my charge are taken care of, I failed. Miserably. But I hope that with our new found agreement and subsequent restructuring of the Alliance, we can make the galaxy a place where peace will be the only thing we know." She cleared her throat for a moment before continuing:
"There will be sanctuary cities on Dantooine, Taris and Coruscant with potentially a few more springing up for those who need the assistance, both Force user and not. We would love for you all to join us on those worlds, as well as here, to help us build refuges for Force users who will need all the help they can get. We also invite you to join the Alliance, to help us rebuild our infrastructure and aid in helping our new government ascend past the petty squabbles of both Republic and Empire. No longer are we to be torn asunder by political differences! We WILL be one government, unified together for the good of mankind." Most in the assembly couldn't help but hoot cheers of approval, applauding vigorously. Once the crowd calmed down, she carried on:
"We would also understand if you needed time to make your decision, to go home and see your families. To that end, we will be providing a sum of credits to use at your leisure. We hope to see you in our ranks, but understand if this war has taken too much of a toll on you to carry on with another struggle. I exhort you to talk to any one of us if you have any questions or suggestions for us." A rare smile cracked the Twi'lek's features.
"At this rate, your ideas would probably be just as good as my own." Scattered laughter crossed the room as Neta wrapped up:
"This is all still very much a work in progress, seeing as our good Council is still in talks about how to proceed with certain aspects of our plan, but know that their talks don't affect your timeline. Inform Elara, your new base commander, of your decision and then proceed with whatever you wish to do...and know that I appreciate you. Each one of you. Thank you...thank you from the bottom of my heart." The assembled crowd let out cries of joy that could only come from those who had been fighting a mercilessly tiring war for half a year, hugging and other forms of celebration occurring. Voldon took the opportunity to motion for Aria and Yerbol to follow him outside along with the other Force users who had stood at the front of the crowd. Once they were far enough from the base, he addressed them:
"Much has yet to be decided, but we at least have a working title." Jungze chuckled.
"Council of Elders does make us sound a bit on the aged side, doesn't it, Voldon?" The Battlemaster smirked.
"Well, I think it reflects our wisdom."
"An idealist as always." Yerbol raised a brow, asking:
"So...wait...what about Jedi? Sith?" Jungze shook her head.
"My dear, if this conflict has taught us one thing, it's that our Orders did nothing but hamstring us from dedicating ourselves to understanding the true nature of the Force. Jedi, Sith...titles mean nothing now. Well, they do for some. I don't think Cheriss will want to drop her 'Darth' title, but alas, I think there would be some distinction in being the only Darth left in the galaxy that we know of."
"What happens now?"
"We're all going to help with the restoration efforts on different worlds once we've gathered our bearings here. Malu-" He motioned to Jungze.
"Is going to try and find any survivors with a group of Alliance ships for transport."
"How fun that will be." She quipped.
"And what of us?" The young Knight asked cautiously.
"You decide that. Nothing binds you to keep fighting, but we would gladly accept the help." Yerbol nodded thoughtfully, adding to Voldon's comment:
"So you all are rebuilding...well, scratch that, creating something totally new from this ash heap Bracknell left. Sounds like something I'd like to be a part of once...well, let's just say that I'll see you when I see you." Voldon chuckled in understanding.
"And what of our Miss Saal, hmm?" Jungze drew a bit closer to Aria, placing a comforting hand on her arm.
"Surely you don't want to jump right back into the fray? Go off with Yerbol somewhere and do something young people do, like ice skate or play arcade games."
"Ice skate? Arcade games? They're not fifteen, Malu." Matt chortled out.
"Oh you know what I mean. Go enjoy yourselves. There'll always be work for you two to get done when you return from your hiatus."

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

PERFECT resolution! Thanks for cleaning up some of the messes I left behind xD

It's late here, but I couldn't help typing out my thoughts so that when you read this(time zones work in our favor in this case), you'll have some time to respond.

Here we go!

-I'd like to have Neta/Elara/The Council assemble the survivors for a "debrief" of sorts, explaining the updated situation before exhorting all those who joined their movement to:
A. Go to the sanctuary cities and help in the restoration effort (or stay on Zinuthra, seeing as it's already technically a sanctuary)
B. Join Alliance forces in order to help facilitate change from within (I'd assume Saresh would authorize this, seeing as most, if not ALL of those who joined the resistance were former Republic/Imperial employees in some capacity)
C. Receive a monetary sum written up in the treaty as way of helping them begin a new life before sending them on transports to the Core worlds

The fate of our more intimately known characters could go as followed(I'll list the characters I introduced, then you can talk about yours):
Master Voldon/Kira- After making sure Kira was healed up enough, he would want to spearhead some kind of "Council of Elders", consisting of those Masters left alive. I know Jungze would agree to this(more on that later). Voldon would fly to one of the Core worlds to help start one of the sanctuary cities along with Kira

Master Carnagie-After agreeing to form a "Council of Elders" (more on that in a minute), Carnagie would decide to stay behind on Zinuthra to help shore up the base and help with establishing it as a refuge for Force sensitives. Janika and Manso would stay behind at Matt's request, seeing as the duo would be of great help to him.

Darth Jungze- Dropping the title of "Darth"(as she'll explain), Malu Jungze will commit herself to first attempting to find any remaining Masters/Lords/Darths that may have survived the purging. Once her journey is somewhat concluded, she'll join one of the sanctuary cities.

Elara and Havoc Squad- Saresh contracts Havoc Squad as "military consultants" to help quell potential threats towards the extremely fragile government. They'll be stationed on Zinuthra for a while before moving around to wherever they're needed.

Neta- Our dearest pilot will be heading to Alderaan, where she says she'll be "for Force knows how long". She'll say an emotional farewell to her "kiddos" before going to see her children, who have been taken care of by a steward of House Organa.

Council of Elders(or whatever we want to call it)-I'm thinking this can be a hybrid of the Dark Council and the Jedi Council, wherein all members have an equal say, but when decisions are contested, one Master is called upon to be the tiebreaker. That responsibility can pass from Master to Master after a certain period of time. It's in the loose stage of planning and it's almost 10pm here, so forgive me for not saying much about this xD

That just leaves our dynamic duo. I believe, my friend, that they have EARNED some time off. It'll be SO nice to write a series of posts that see them interacting outside of war xD.

A sequence of events I have in my head are as follows:
-Yerbol tells Aria that he desperately wants to check on his parents, so after saying their goodbyes, they had out to Taris...but NOT before he insists that Aria and he create some kind of memorial for Roan. Whether that be etching something on a stone and leaving it in the wilderness or creating a holo recording or SOMETHING, Yerbol is going to insist on this. If it doesn't happen, then it doesn't, but just know he's going to want to help Aria bring about some kind of "closure". If that closure means going to another world before Taris, then let's do it!

-They arrive on Taris and meet the parents, who are thrilled to see Yerbol alive AND in the company of a young lady(even the Tuk'ata are somewhat welcomed). After catching up and spending time with his long lost parents, Yerbol bring Aria to a favorite spot of his as a child, where he has a dinner set up for them by candlelight(you know where this is going, right? xD) that he cooked himself. They eat, converse and...well, because Yerbol is Yerbol, he's going to let slip that he has feelings for her.

-From there...well, I don't want to go to far because I want to know your thoughts on the matter.

Good morning to you!

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

I was thinking of Corgis when I wrote that because I love Corgis. To pieces, really xD

Yay! Yeah, no worries on posts, seeing as I feel like the next handful of posts from both of us are going to be much longer than normal

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

I feel like I missed a couple of things...feel free to add/modify what I laid out :)

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

"Ah, no worries. They're growing on me...although I think we're going to have find some way to give them baths. Long, soapy, baths." He looked down at his shirt and laughed, looking to the Tuk'ata with a wan smile.
"Well, I suppose I'm being quite the hypocrite, aren't I?" The one that had been sniffing his hand now sniffed his knee, snorting a moment later.
"Oh it's not that bad!" He leaned forward and scratched behind the creature's ears, telling Aria as he did so:
"You know, I had a couple of dogs when I was growing up on Taris. One medium sized, potato shaped dog that had stumpy legs and another much larger mountain dog that had massive paws. They were fun companions, although a bit long in the tooth when we met them. My parents, according to them, had gotten both of them before we were born, so they weren't all that active...still, they were great to be around. Lysa always preferred the potato...that was his name, by the way. Potato." He patted the creature on the flanks, hand coming away with a sticky film.
"Yeah, baths are in your future." The Knight looked down to Aria, whose jaw was quivering.
"Woah, hey, hey..." He scooted down to the floor, once again placing a comforting arm around her shoulders, allowing her to lean in if she wished.
"It's ok to keep crying, you know." He motioned to the barely populated command center in the middle of the room.
"No one's going to notice...I think everyone over there is sleep walking or taking naps. Look at Reggie, he doesn't seem like he's all that into watching the map for Saresh's ship." The baby faced Reggie was currently hunched over in a chair similar to the one Yerbol had occupied, loudly snoring. Behind him, a couple of others shuffled to comm units that were silent, exchanging whispered sentiments.
"I'm sorry, by the way. For not being there for you as much as I should've been the past few days. Neta had me sprinting around the edge of the compound to make sure the energy shields weren't totally damaged, then had me rebuilding that bloody hole in the wall in the hangar. What on earth did the Alliance troopers have down here, rocket launchers? Proton cannons? Surprised that they weren't able to take down the base with that kind of firepower." A soft beeping came from the center console, prompting Reggie to snort loudly, awakening from his slumber to spot five blips heading towards them. Fumbling for the comm unit, he squeaked:
"Envoy incoming!" With that, the once quiet command center began to bustle with activity once more.
"Well, that was a short interlude." Blowing out a sigh, Yerbol looked down to his companion.
"I've got an idea I want to talk to you about. Something awesome, something grand in scope...it also involves steak." He grinned, kissing her on the side of her head before rising(he didn't think about the gesture all that much at the specific moment).
"You're gonna love it! Just gotta negotiate GALACTIC PEEEAAACCEEEEEE!!!"
"GAAALAAACTICCC PEEAACCCEEEE!!!" Bex called out as he emerged from the military wing of the complex, the duo chuckling at their inside joke.
"Gonna get it today, Bex! Gettin it TO. DAY!" The sudden burst of excitement was surprising to the once thoroughly exhausted Yerbol, but he was rejuvenated by what he had come up with for he and Aria while working around the base...well, that and knowing that their fight would soon be over. Hopefully.

_______________

The briefing room, which once saw chairs in a circle, now had rows of chairs facing each other. Saresh and her convoy of diplomats, all of which had some sign of exhaustion on their faces, sat on the side opposite the doorway. Neta and Elara greeted them, led them into the room and was about to call the diplomats in when Saresh shook her head.
"First, I need to talk to the Masters as well as Yerbol and Aria."
"Fair enough."

Once the surviving Force users came together, Saresh addressed them:
"What has occurred over the past six months has been trying. For all of us."
"You destroyed two Orders of the Force, Chancellor. Let's rephrase that a bit, shall we?" Voldon jabbed, eyes boring into the Twi'lek's skull with ferocity.
"I'm not attempting to reduce the severity of your suffering, Master Naylon, but we too had been deceived. Bracknell had grown increasingly erratic in his behavior, attempting to bully advisers, ambassadors, policy makers and the entire Senate into passing harsh, extreme measures against Force users. More and more of those who had joined the Alliance grew wary of our partnership and pushed for me to challenge him(believe me, there were MANY who left after the destruction of Tython and even more when Korriban was laid waste. Our numbers weren't as massive as they seemed). When I pressed him two months ago, he..." She trailed off for a momentary pause, gathering her thought before continuing:
"He made so much sense. Everything made sense when he spoke. It was as if a divine miracle occurred when we had first met. Total peace between Empire and Republic? I wanted nothing less." She sat back.
"But it was all for naught. The cost that was incurred by our actions was massive and I will constantly be seeking to repay those of you who fought so bravely for true peace."
"There's a 'but' coming, isn't there?" Matt quipped, brow furrowing.
"Perception of Force users has become rather slanted, to the point that we've had several planets declare a ban on those who use the Force."
"I'm aware." Voldon's jaw tightened.
"While I understand the anger and the venom Force users may possess towards the galaxy, they also will have to understand that what Bracknell and I sought to do was-"
"Stomp us out, eradicate us?!" Matt nearly shrieked, Voldon instantly clapping a hand on his shoulder to restrain him.
"Our original intent, Master Carnagie, was to establish a separation of state. We were going to call together the respective Councils and negotiate a way for both the Jedi and Sith to remain in their respective domains without interfering in the Alliance's interests." Yerbol then angrily retorted:
"Which meant taking helpless kids on transport vessels? Allowing both Tython and Korriban to erupt into civil war while sitting back on your haunches while YOU DID NOTHING?! I FOUGHT ON BELSAVIS, CHANCELLOR! I BLED WITH THOSE REPUBLIC TROOPERS AND YOU WANT TO INVALIDA-"
"YERBOL, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Voldon roared, taking in a deep breath.
"You'll forgive us, Chancellor, but we're on edge." Some of the ambassadors had recoiled in their seats from the display, but Saresh wasn't flustered.
"Understandable. This subversive war has taken a toll on your people, hence my proposition to your unified Council." She straightened her full length skirt as she continued:
"In order for the galaxy to recover, we'll need refuge cities, places where Force users can safely get help and assistance while we attempt to mend the gaping wounds of public outcry. We can have certain locales set up in the Core worlds as well as the Outer Rim and this planet...?"
"Zinuthra." Matt muttered.
"So Zinuthra. We will need, of course, experienced Force users at these locations to begin setting up. We'll dedicate resources to helping you as well."
"What's the end goal, Chancellor?"
"To hopefully integrate Force users back into mainstream society where...well, let's cross one bridge at a time, shall we?"
"We need this all in writing. You people love your 'treaties'. We want one."
"I expected as much. I'll have my people draw one up."
"No, no, we have our own diplomatic core." Yerbol added, smirking at Saresh's sigh of disapproval.
"Before we leave..." Voldon looked over at the others.
"I feel like some of us have other things they'd like to say."
"Of course."

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

It'll have to be tomorrow...this stack of papers is mocking me xD

You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

I get it for sure. My condolences on the grandparents.

Hey, I feel like the beneficiary of some fantastic lore research, so lore away! xD

Might try to post something later today, but I need to grade work, so maybe tomorrow. Will let you know :)