Ask Aggressive Expansion

[Arla]

Per my new OP template, thread is death enabled​

Arla had already managed to take over Columex and Anzat for the Empire, and now her sights were set on Centares. The irony of that, of course, was that she didn't really like city-planets and had now taken over one and was moving on to the next.

Ultimately, she just sucked it up, reminded herself how profitable Columex had been for her, and set to work on Centares. Her partner this time wasn't anyone she knew or had worked with before. To be honest, the woman's position within the Sith Empire seemed ambiguous and sketchy at best.

Convincing the Governor of Centares that joining the Empire was a good idea was their next step, and Arla was just so great at diplomacy. That was probably why Arla's plan for how to annex Centares involved killing someone instead of talking to them.

The Nightsister's ship had set down on a landing pad at the edge of the city and she'd moved to one of the local hotels, renting out a private suite with separate bedrooms for she and her partner, poring over information and ISB datapackets before the other woman arrived.

 

[Celeste Stythani]

After months and even more months of work on Raxus and Eiattu, training on Ziost, a bunch of missions with Vahliri on various system and the invasion on Yavin, Celeste was finally allowed a bit more freedom.

She didn't have to be supervised by the Half-Anfynn, but couldn't yet roam around freely either or lead missions on her own, and so while still being accompanied by a security droid whenever she was without any fleshed supervision, she was, however, allowed to join another champion on a conquest.

Celeste was happy about the change of scenery and while she hadn't met the other Champion before, she was confident that they would get along. While en route to Centares, Celeste gathered as much information as she could about the system and while he'd mission brief had involved information on an annexation of the planet, she wasn't sure whether diplomacy was the skill that was needed on this conquest though.

Clad in the crimson and black uniform Vahliri had given her a while ago, Celeste face was covered by the mask when she left the shuttle as she didn't need any civilians to spot the ex FWA senator here. She obviously had her lightsaber with her and was immediately guided into the direction of the other Champion. "Champion Arla, it's a pleasure to meet you" she greeted the other woman, taking off her mask as they were out of sight, a polite smile gracing her lips.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

When Celeste arrived in the suite room she would find Arla sitting cross-legged on one of the couches with papers, datachips, and datapads strewn out in front of her on the coffee table and beside her on the couch.

Just Arla's fine, she said. Celeste, I take it? Acolyte? she asked. Clearly she hadn't been told a great deal about this other than it involved needing to keep a close eye on Celeste.

Your room's over there, she said, motioning to one of the connected suites to her left.

Toss your stuff and we can get started, she said, reaching over and grabbing her juice before taking a long swig and going back to looking at the datapad.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

The young champion was apparently busy with doing some kind of research of her own and while Celeste admired her eagerness, she was really curious about actual details, especially because Arla chose to withhold them right now.

"Alright, Arla then. Celeste is correct and yes...I guess still acolyte right now again". It was still weird to carry that title after all that time, but it couldn't be much longer until her previous rank would be restored.

She nodded when Arla gestured towards the adjacent room and moved towards the door with a smirk. Arla obviously didn't waste any time and Celeste would adjust to that immediately, so she brought her stuff over before reappearing in the Champion's room.

"I'm all set. While we're on the move it would be great if you could fill me in on details though, so that I could adjust accordingly. Do you require a silver tongue that butters the authorities up or are we choosing a more direct approach?" she curiosly wanted to know, her question just as direct as the Champion's instructions.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla wondered what exactly had happened with the woman. "Again" wasn't a normal thing with Acolytes, but she remembered hearing about Master Veles being demoted back to Champion. Perhaps Celeste had been demoted back to Acolyte from Champion. She silently hoped to herself the woman wasn't incompetent, and mentally noted that it may be wise to inquire more about it before they got into the field.

What Arla did appreciate was the woman's equal directness, setting right to business as she returned to the common area. As she presumably took a seat, Arla started handing things to her.

Assassination, she said. Any experience? she asked, waiting for an answer before pressing on.

This is the current governor, she said, handing a file compiled by the ISB across to her with name, photo, and some other critical information in it.

And this is his chief rival, she said, handing another, smaller file across. He's agreed to assist in bringing the planet under Imperial control if we can get him in power, she said.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste was wondering whether Arla was just generally someone who preferred being direct and giving curt answers or whether that behavior resulted from Celeste's admittedly interesting position, but she didn't question it just yet.

She took a seat across from the other woman, attentive gaze directed onto the Champion while she was absolutely receptive. She immediately nodded when she mentioned the assassination, but she did raise a brow as she had rather assumed this would be of a more diplomatic nature. "Yes...I've done a few, actually. Who is the target though? The Govenor himself?" she curiosly asked, however simultaneously wondering whether she had chosen an assassination because there was no other way, or because it would be the fastest solution, or because she was convinced that persuasion and diplomacy wouldn't be fertile on this urban soil.

Arla immediately started answering her questions by handing her the important files and Celeste studied the the information as well as the pictures. "Hmm.." While skimming through the files, she kept listening to her while processing the concise pieces of information Arla was additionally supplying. She started to read through it more closely and while her eyes still went over the lines, she directed another question at the other woman. "Political targets are always interesting. Not al, politicians are known for sticking to their words, so we should be careful with what the rival has promised". Celeste was not questioning the ISB's work at all, but she was definitely suspicious of the apparent rival and his possibly empty words. Politics were definitely an area of expertise for the blonde and so she wanted to make sure that they were not making any mistakes.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla nodded as she asked who the target was and whether it was the governor.

That's the plan, she said with a nod. Oh yes, Arla was familiar with people not keeping up to their ends of the bargain.

If he doesn't want to keep up with his end of the bargain, then he'll be dealt with, she said. Arla preferred to avoid excessive bloodshed and invasions for practical reasons, but there was always a very real, very tangible threat of Star Destroyers descending whenever you were making deals on behalf of the Empire.

You have a better suggestion? she asked. She could practically sense it in the way the woman spoke, reaching over and taking another sip of her juice.

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste wasn't surprised by her nod, but it did give her something to think about. After all, Arla was in charge and she was definitely not questioning her decisions, but she still wanted to be careful just in case.

Also, she had a point with what she said next and so a slight smirk crossed her lips when she said:"True. We will achieve our goal regardless of the the actual reaction...". If they needed more force, so be it. Celeste had learnt that diplomacy wasn't always the answer.

When Arla returned the questions, she did ponder on it for a few more seconds before she finally shook her head. "It might just be a waste of time, so rather not. If this rival is an actual supporter of the Empire, we'll make our work easier of we just push a change of power forward" she answered, her head slightly tilted to the side as she glanced back up to her after having read and memorized the details.

"Have you already scouted? Did you plan on ambushing him, breaking in right in the middle of the night or a more subtle approach?". Honestly was fine with whatever and she had already gathered experience with all kinds of different approached to such things.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

If he betrays us, then the division in his cabinet and military officers will make an invasion that much easier, she said. Transitions of power took time, and they were not easy. He would not yet have consolidated his power, and by the time he did consolidate, the planet would either already be the Empires or the planet would be invaded. Either way was a win for the Sith.

No, I've only been here for a couple hours longer than you, she said in response to the latter question. ISB troops have done a lot of the scouting work, but we'll want to have a look ourselves, she said.

We want this to look like an accident, if possible, she added, which was, of course, the trickier part. It meant needing some sort of poison or blatant accident to befall him. She knew that her own magicks could bewitch him and force him to do something that she chose as well. The options were endless, but it needed to be simpler than a lightsaber to the throat.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste nodded agreeingly, appreciating the Champion's political farsightedness. Many Champions lacked those specific skills, but Arla seemed pretty skilled and prepared so far, which was why the smile on her lips was slightly widening. "True. I hope we don't need to go that far though. Perhaps things just go smoothly". Maybe it was wishful thinking, but maybe it would just work.

"Good. Then let's observe first" she agreed, leaning back in her chair while her gaze wandered towards the window. It was rather gloomy and the sky was covered in thick clouds, so as if a storm could approach, but the weather wouldn't stop them.

"And accident you say..." Celeste, now very intrigued, raised a brow while a couple of scenarios played in her head. On Rattatak, she had known how to deal with a variety of poisons and thus learnt to appreciate the subtle little help of a draught well brewed...however they probably didn't actually have access to exotic poisons here and so a different, rather sneaky approach was needed. "I'd say we find out more about this govenor. Perhaps he likes to go out..." Oh many terrible things could happen during a night out...Especially because people often tended to lower their guard when out and about.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla nodded as she repeated that they were trying to make an accident. It shouldn't be that hard, right? Famous last words probably.

I agree, she said with a nod. I'm not the best at blending in, she said bluntly, but I am good at not being spotted, she said. She assumed that Celeste was skilled at mingling, though... she also was trying to conceal her face.

He has late night board meetings for his family's old company in the evenings on Wednesdays, she said. There should be one tonight. We can follow him and see what he does there, she said, pushing herself to her feet.

Ever been to Centares before? she asked, starting to scoop up the papers, datacards, and reports to place them on the kitchenette counter.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

With the new information in mind, Celeste was still considering different scenarios in her head, however she also knew that they had to do some more investigations before they could decide on a set strategy.

"Fortunately, I'm rather skilled when it comes to blending in...maybe we could arrange something appropriate where the two of us can bring in our talents and achieve our goal by a clever combination of both...". If Celeste would get the chance to play a part that would bring her closer to the man, Arla could sneakily her way in. However the question was whether they would find a fitting occasion.

As Arla mentioned the board meeting, she immediately nodded. "Perfect. We can gather more information and perhaps we might already manage to separate him from possible guards. Before we check in tonight though, we could check out whether we might even gain access to certain substances..." Celeste suggested, referring to the possible plan of poisoning him.

However, there was also an even easier way: Good old mind tricks. But time would tell in how far they would have to adapt. "No, unfortunately not. I've tried to gather useful information, but I'm afraid I still have to familiarize myself with the planet first" she replied, getting up as well. "You?". She seemed ready to leave and so Celeste was already taken out her mask again. Maybe the people wouldn't even recognize her here, but she had to play it safe for now.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla glanced back when she mentioned "certain substances." What substances? she asked. She was the absolute worst when it came to subtlety and implication. She was far too direct and most of the euphemisms of the galaxy were colloquial expressions she wasn't familiar with.

First for me as well. Not the last, she said. If they brought Centares in she was sure that she'd be visiting many more times.

She moved over to her room and grabbed a few things before emerging.

Alright, off to scouting, she said, pulling out another map from the stack on the kitchenette. This is the path that he usually takes from his office to the meeting, she said.

You have an idea for getting an invite to the meeting? she asked, dubiously. She wasn't sure how feasible that was, but she also wasn't one to squash a good idea.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste was slightly surprised when she didn't get the euphemism, but she didn't mind elaborating and so she curtly answered "poisons...bio-chemical substances perhaps. If we might inflict an illness, it could even look more natural, but I'd still say the faster the better, so an accident might be the better choice" she mused, leaning against the counter while Arla seemed to get her hand on some last preparations.

It didn't surprise her that Arla hadn't been on Centares either, but it meant that the two women had to get accustomed to the planet quickly. It was a good thing that Arla had an analog map, however she immediately brought up an important question. She wasn't too bad at improvising, but preferred plans anyway. "Well...in my eyes, there are a few options. We could either fully sneak in and try to eavesdrop, try to get an actual spot inside the meeting chamber while posing as a business lady, although we can't be sure whether they'll let additional people in, or perhaps the Govenor simply enjoys company". There were plenty of men who were similar and she had seen such a simple trick work a couple of times, but they definitely couldn't be sure here.

"One way or another, we'll have to scout first. Gather information on the man, the meeting and whatsoever. Perhaps we don't have to wait for the meeting to commence and we can even strike before that". There were plenty of options and they hadnto figure out the best one. She moved closer towards the door, putting on her mask already.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Ah, yes, Arla knew about poisons and venoms, but she didn't have much of anything from Dathomir to that end.

Ah. Well, we could always try poison, but if neither of us have anything on hand it might not be easy or time efficient to try to scrounge any up, she said, agreeing when Celeste mentioned the accident being better.

I would favor sneaking in, she said. I'm not sure I'd be much use pretending to be a businesswoman, she said. Between the tribal, facial tattoos, her lack of knowledge about business, and her general lack of patience, it was a bad combination.

Let's get a recon of the building first, she said, heading for the door and to a speeder bike she had parked out front. There was one of Celeste as well, and Arla booted it up before tearing down the street.

Of all the things that technology did, riding speeder bikes was one of the few things that Arla really enjoyed, tearing down the street with Force-enhanced reflexes was something she had to actively resisted. After all, when one was scouting for an assassination, one couldn't afford a speeding ticket.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

If Celeste had known about her plan to assassinate the Govenor earlier, she might have gotten her hand on something that would have been on help - or well, admittedly the old Celeste would have had the chance on Rattatak. While still not being allowed to roam around freely, it might have been much more difficult anyway, so accident it was. "True again. Then the accident it is". She shrugged, a slight smirk crossing her lips as she was hoping they would manage to create a fitting situation soon.

Sue nodded in agreement when she told her her preference, adding, "Yeah, the ploy would have been hard to arrange anyway". Also, Celeste had done stealthy approach often as well, so she was completely fine with that, especially because less stress was involved there.

She concealed her face, followed the dark haired woman outside and mounted the speeder bike before the two of them were already taking off. "I'm right behind you". While Celeste knew that they had to be careful in order to avoid raising any suspicions, Arla's need for sticking exactly to the speed limit did made her smirk every now and then. Since Arla was the one with the map, Celeste stayed behind her for the whole duration of their drive, however it didn't take them very long and as they got closer, she had a feeling that they were at the right place.


@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla followed the map through the city and toward the government building. She eventually pulled to a stop outside the capitol building, letting Celeste pull up next to her. In the brightness of day there were many people passing around, taking pictures, and generally lingering all over the place. In other words, no one was going to give the pair a second look.

Hitting him in the capitol building isn't an option, she said quietly. It's the one place where there's heavy security. He only travels with a couple of people when he's out in public: usually two guards reportedly, she said.

The question now was what they would do for the accident.

If we can get his guards to leave him, we could end up kidnapping him and drowning him in the river, she said.

Knocking him unconscious with the Shadow is simple. Once he's unconscious, he's an easy kill, she said with simplicity like she wasn't talking about murdering someone right now.

 

[Celeste Stythani]

While Celeste had never enjoyed the hustle and the bustle of crowded cities and urban spaces, she was used to it and she could usually deal with situations that commonly occurred in such places with ease. However she was already slightly tense as many people often led to many problems and so she was definitely on her guard and ware of their surroundings.

When Arla handed her another important piece of information, she nodded agreeingly."Ysah, we should avoid all the trouble we can and try not to raise any unnecessary attention. Let's just look around and scout the area" she suggested, her light blue gaze behind the mask flicking over to the Champion. If someone would become mistrusting after that attempted coup, bringing Centares into Imperial control would be more difficult.

The river idea she suggested, definitely sounded like a solid plan though. "Sounds good to me. I'm pretty sure I can come up with a distraction. Openly taking guards out could be counterproductive, too, but if we can get them all drunk, the story would get more plausible". If she could lure them away, they'd clearly have an advantage, however why would they leave the man they wanted to protect? "Depending on the actual numbers, we can mess with their minds, too".

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla nodded as she mentioned that taking the guards out would be no good. Mental tricks might be our best bet. I doubt the guards will be drinking on duty, she said. But a little mind game never hurt anyone.

So we'll try to catch up with him at the board meeting. Maybe intercept after the board meeting, she said, but that still meant needing to get rid of the guards.

She sighed quietly for a moment, thinking about the best way to isolate him from his guards. Her eyes flicked around from place to place in deep thought.

I guess we could try to convince him to send them away himself, she said. Manipulate him into sending the guards away then we help him somewhere else, she said. There was a reason people were so afraid of Force-users. Your will could be completely lost to you without any kind of warning.

Let's get to his business office, she said. It'll be easier to get in position before anyone is there.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

After considering a few options in her head, she actually couldn't agree more. It was unlikely the Govenor would manage to resist them and so even though their assassination plan was far from usual, it seemed like it could all go smoothly, given that certain parameters were simply right.

Celeste was observing their surroundings for a moment before her gaze flicked back to Arla as she also had a point with the drinks and being on duty. Not that Celeste hadn't seen drunken guards or assistants every now and then on different planets, but they couldn't count on it. "Yes. We'll get into position, perhaps we find a rooftop that is fitting and then we wait", she replied, her voice obviously lowered.

Celeste was assuming a board meeting would take at least an hour, but they had to stay patient before they could intercept. "I like that idea. We need to wait for the perfect opportunity and we need to react in case the guards need more convincing as well, but I'd say our chances are pretty high". Celeste was just hoping this would all be worth it.

She nodded as Arla suggested to move as staying in one place was suspicious anyway, so she quickly replied "Lead the way" with a smile before her eyes started scanning the crowd. If she was being honest, this area of the planet didn't fully look like the jewel of the midrim as it was once called long ago, but perhaps they weren't in the right district or whatsoever. 'Centares would make a nice addition to the Empire' she remarked telepathically after a moment, recalling everything she had read about it though. Despite having been contested terriority, the planet's economy was strong and was positioned at impotent trading routes. 'Why Centares though? Did you have a specific reason?'. She was actually just curious.

@Phoenix