Ask Honor Guard

[Jonathen Baize]

Lianna​

Lieutenant Joanthen Biaze and his platoon had been assigned as honor guards to an Imperial Diplomatic delegation to Lianna. The world had broken away from Imperial control but had fractured politically since then. The world was in chaos, with several factions vying for control. The Empire had stepped back in and had started negotiations for them to return to the fold. Negotiations had gone well, with several factions combining their interest with hopes of retaining power after rejoining the Empire.

This had left several factions out in the cold, which had led to dissent in the capital city. The specifics of the meeting were above Jonathen's pay grade. His platoon was to secure the building and ensure the meeting could go off without a hitch.

His platoon's armor was spotless as they stood in formation outside the front of the building. Other platoons were responsible for other sides of the building, with his being told to hold the front doors.

A crowd had gathered, and protests were beginning. There was a vocal group that strongly opposed the world rejoining the Empire. After negotiations were settled, Imperial forces could ensure these groups were brought into compliance, but for now, Jonathen watched the small crowd grow as the meeting began inside.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair didn’t care for planets that were in a rush to leave that quickly discovered the folly of it. He almost wanted to let them flounder so they could stew in the aftermath of their own poor judgment. However, the Empire was also desperate for any worlds it could get.

The Warmaster himself decided to take on this mission, and he was joined by Lt. Baize. Altair’s pronounced horns made him recognizable anywhere, and there was a noticeable shift in the crowds. Some were cheering, others began to throw things and hurl insults both about him being a Sith and also racist remarks about being a tiefling.

Altair was surprisingly unaffected by all of it, pausing next to Baize for a moment. After exchanging salutes, he glanced back towards the building, “It’ll get pretty ugly here. Have your men scan the perimeter for sniper nests. I have a target on my back today, so I’m counting on you, soldier.”

He said with a nod before he took the stairs towards the entrance. He was meeting with three faction leaders today. They all disagreed with one another on policy, but they all agreed that some sort of intervention from the Empire was desperately needed.

He gave them a formal greeting as he arrived, looking across at a twi’lek male, human woman and a Rodian male.

“Welcome Warmaster Din,” The twi’lek began, “I’m Sharda Gav. I represent Mission Tech. My company mass produces wartime materials and supplies.”

“I’m Vani Karn,” The woman said sternly, “I lead the current chapter of the Firebird Society,” She said, clearly irritated at having to sit in a room with men.

“I’m Dorvo Zin,” The Rodian said, “I oversee the majority of our banking systems.”

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

Jonathen's men straightened even more when the Warmaster stepped out of his transport and made his way up to the door. His platoon slammed their fist to their chest in unison as he approached.

"Nothing will get through us, Warmaster," he responded. With that, he was gone, and Jonethen resumed giving out orders. "You heard the Warmaster, boys; nothing gets by us," he said, turning and pointing to two soldiers. "I want you two to take up overwatch positions and be on the lookout for snipers." he continued, turning to another group of soldiers without pausing. "Get those mounted blasters deployed," he said before turning and scanning the crowd himself. It had odd energy; He didn't have a great feeling about the next few hours.

One person hopped the barrier, yelling at the Imperial soldiers. Jonethen stepped forward. "Sir, get behind the barrier," he shouted. The men continued to yell and then took a threatening step forward toward the Lieutenant. The front line of soldiers all raised their blasters. "Go ahead, kill me!" the man challenged them.

Jonathen raised a hand and gave the sign to lower their weapons. He didn't need one idiot sparking the whole crowd into a frenzy. He took a step forward. "I will not ask again. Step. Behind. The. Barrier." he commanded again. The man swung at the Lieutenant, but he ducked the blow and spun the man around before slamming him up against the barrier. Planet security forces took the man into custody, and Jonethen stepped back in line with his men.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was not one of those people that was born to be a diplomat. Hell, he hardly felt qualified to be here at all. He usually looked to some Moff or other role to do all the talking while he stood posted outside like Lt. Baize. He envied the soldier in many ways - it was how Altair knew to be. Navigating personalities and political bullshit felt unnatural to the tiefling that grew up on a farm.

“Thank you all for hosting me,” He nodded at them, “I think the fact that we’ve all assembled here is a sign of great progress. I understand you may not all see eye to eye on many things,” He looked at the three of them individually. There was some uncomfortable shifting in place, but no one could disagree, “I hope to serve as a mediator of sorts and find a solution that works for all parties involved.”

Altair’s own words sounded like a crock of bantha shit to him. However, he got it from watching Emryc Thorne and other politicians ramble on Holo. They used certain words and manners of speech that always made it seem like the other person was hyper important even if the goal was self serving. Even if it sounded like junk to him, the others nodded along so that was a positive sign.

Meanwhile, while Baize was dealing with the rowdy individuals, it was really a diversion. A tactical team navigated its way around the building. They quietly took out two Imperials posted near that entrance and slowly began to find ways in. They banked on Imperials taking too long to notice that some of the guards weren’t checking in. Ideally their planted people in the crowds would continue to cause a diversion.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The crowd stirred angrily. Other issues were boiling up, but as Jonathen took a step forward, he paused, motioning for his soldiers to take care of the situation. He had learned in his last mission it wasn't a leader's job to do everything; his platoon was trained, and they were good soldiers. They could handle their work.

Jonathen held a finger to his ear, starting to check on each of their positions. It was hard to hear over the rising yells from the crowd, but one by one, they checked in, except for the last one. They were on the west side of the building. It had been a small alleyway, and they had only been able to fit several men, but it was out of the way.

Over the comms, he radioed one of the backup teams and told them to move it to check out the area. They had planned for these scenarios. He gave the order for soldiers at secondary locations to be alert and waited for each to acknowledge.

A last caught his attention as someone threw a Molotov cocktail against the line of soldiers. They raised shields which negated much of the damage from the fire.

"What's the status on that team?!" he asked over the comm as the crowd started throwing rocks and empty bottles at the soldiers' front line.

---

Upstairs the three all nodded to Warmaster's words. However, there was some hesitation from Vani Karn. "When the Empire requested a diplomatic audience, we had no idea you would be attending," she said.

"What does it matter, Vani?!" Dorvo Zin said, already fed up with the woman.

"It matters because we just chose our independence, and at the slightest hint of trouble, we have invited our would-be conqueror to the dinner table," she responded. "No offense, of course, Mr. Din." she added as an afterthought.



@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair stared blankly at Vani Karn, “Ms. Karn, frankly I can’t afford to conquer you,” He said dryly, “Lianna will go nowhere it does not choose. However, if you have everything sorted, then I don’t need to be here,” He began to rise to leave.

“No wait-” There was a collective sense of discomfort. The two men glared at Vani and she looked a bit embarrassed. Altair stared at them and slowly eased back into his seat.

“I think the only way to succeed would be to appoint a council,” Altair said as he looked at them, “You all would represent your respective interests since you speak for a vast industry. The Empire would come in to set up an operating model and provide governance over that. However, the day to day responsibilities and accountability will be with each of you.”

Altair looked at them to see if they had any questions. He had thought about this strategy for a while before coming here, and it was clear he did his homework.

–​

The tactical team was inside the building now. If Jonathen looked closely, he would begin to see some smoke as the first floor was cleared. It was a noxious gas that was spreading across the building. The intruders quickly rushed up the stairs, intending to target the room where Altair was seated with the others.

The crowd got even more incensed as they worked to distract the Imperials. One of them saw Baize on his comms and tried chucking a boot at his head to stop him from coordinating anything.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The group took Altiar's words into consideration. Sharda Gav was clearly on board, seeing the business opportunities in being aligned with the Empire once again. They were some ways away from the other Galactic powers, but they wouldn't need other clients if they could score Imperial contracts. Vani Karn continued to be the group's wild card; she wielded no small amount of sway with the common people. Dorvo Zin was a schemer at heart, and Altair would notice the man deep in thought as he spoke.

"Warmaster, I understand why I am here. With assistance, my banks will be able to restore our world's economy quickly." the banker said and gestured to the businessman. "And Mr. Gav is a leading voice in the planet's industrial sector; other businesses will fall his lead," he said, leaning back slightly in his chair.

"But with all due respect, Ms. Karn has little to aid our assembly. Surely, there are other candidates that would serve the people better," he said, giving the woman a look out of the corner of his eye. 'Why you little snake..." she spat in disgust as the room started to devolve into bickering.

---

Jonathen waited for the report as a civilian stepped forward and threw a heavy boot. For its weight and awkward shape, the guy threw it excellently. It struck Jonathen as he lifted his comm up. The rioters cheered as the man lifted a fist in the air. "Die you Imperialist Pig!"

One of the soldiers stepped up, riot shield in hand, and cracked the man in the knee, sending him to the ground. Several soldiers stepped forward to secure the prisoner as more rioters pushed against the shield line.

"Fuck..." he said, spitting out some blood. His attention was drawn inside, where there was a small amount of visible smoke. At the same time, the report from the backup team came in. "They are dead, Sir. Looks like someone cut their throats." the soldier said in the comm.

"All teams not holding the exterior converge on the building. There is someone in the building. I need a squad to secure the Warmaster!" he said, passing command of the front line to his XO and running inside as he pulled on his helmet and readied his rifle.

He pushed through the gas, stepping over choking civilians as he scanned for intruders. His mask protected him from the gas though it wouldn't hold for prolonged exposures.

Hitting the door to the stairwell, he caught a glimpse of the trio of assassins moving up the stairs. "At least one group heading up the north stairs! Im in pursuit!" he yelled into his comm as he started bounding up the stairs.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair pinched the bridge of his nose as the diplomats, using that term loosely, started bickering again. He cut in after a moment, “With all due respect, with the way you are behaving, perhaps you all ought to be replaced?”

Fuck.

That was not the right thing to say. He briefly lost his cool. Altair opened his mouth, but it was too late. They all glared at him. He managed to unite them on a platform, and it was on being offended by him. His jaw tightened and several muscles flexed, but he kept his cool.

“I told you he is the would be conquer-”

“MISS Vani Karn-” Altair spoke loudly, drowning out her accusations, “-Represents a very significant group. In fact, I believe she is positioned to improve welfare for all women and go far beyond just the threads to the Firebird Society. I think-”

Altair thought he heard a noise. He looked over, “Did you hear that?”

Dorvo Zin looked suspicious, “Is this a subtle way to buy you time to gather your thoughts, Warmaster Din?” He asked grumpily.

“Oh give it a rest, Zin,” Vani huffed, suddenly okay with Altair since he was in the middle of puffing her up, “We could all use a break from your subpar sleuthing skills to arrive at the wrong conclusion as usual.”

Altair was already on his feet, comlink in hand, “Baize, talk to me,” He demanded.

—​

Meanwhile, the tactical team was composed of only five individuals. However, they were hired mercenaries and highly specialized. As Baize ran up the stairs, his visibility would be poor. One more step and a figure popped into his line of vision, whirling in to clock him in the face with a punch. However, the true aim was to slam the helmet right off him so Baize would be forced to inhale the smoke.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The two bickered with one another, pulling Altair in briefly. It had almost been too easy. "First floor neutralized, heading up the stairs now." the assassin whispered into the comms.

He couldn't stand the other two, and while Imperial contacts would have been nice, Sharda Gav was playing at bigger games. Soon all three of these fools would be dead, and he would have sole control over this planet. Now he just had to wait. For now, he played the game. He acted appalled by the bickering back and forth and concerned at the Warmaster's temper getting the best of him.

---

Jonathen was making his way up the stairs, smoke now filling the stairwell. "A squad of combatants has entered the building. They are heading towards you. Get to the roof..." Before he could say anything else, he was blindsided by one of the soldiers that had broken off. The Warmaster knew the emergency evacuation plans and was capable, but Jonathen needed to buy the Warmaster time to escape.

The blow knocked him off balance, knocking his helmet slightly to the side. It stayed on, allowing him to breathe, but someone of the gas had gotten in his eyes.

Jonathen's vision blurred as they began to sting and water. He was hit another time, knocking his blaster to the floor. He couldn't see. He started to panic, but he had trained for this back boot camp. He was alright. He tried to anticipate the assassin's next strike. He snapped his combat knife into his hand and thrust forward.

He took another jab to the side of the head, but his knife stuck in the attacker's gut. Jonathen stabbed again and again. He pushed himself up, grabbing his blaster as he started back up the stairs. He coughed "Get to the Warmaster!" he coughed into the comms. The riots outside had continued to grow. No one else was coming; it was all they could do to hold the line.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was entirely too fired up to notice that Sharda Gav was suspiciously quiet the entire time. He heard Baize’s feedback and he quickly gestured for the other three to follow him, “Come on, this building has been compromised.”

“Aha! A trick by the Imperials!” Dorvo Zin squeaked. Vani rolled her eyes.

“GET MOVING NOW!” Altair snapped at them firmly. His tone was enough to get them all to stare at him wide eyed, but quickly comply. The tiefling pushed the door open and ran towards the stairs, practically shoving the others along. One by one they all scrambled up, leaving him to be the last one to go. Altair turned around to face the enemies, but all he could see was thick smoke.

He felt a sudden, sharp pain. The tiefling grunted and looked down, realizing that he had been shot. He was bleeding. They used slugthrowers?! It was unimaginable agony, his black blood spilling out from the side of his torso. He feared he would bleed out if he didn’t get this treated soon.

Altair had to rely on the Force, unleashing a concussion wave without any line of sight. He heard a grunt which suggested that he at least got someone. The tiefling hobbled up the stairs, clutching his side.

“I’ve been hit,” He croaked into his comlink, “Trying to get the diplomats to the roof. Need an extraction stat..hostiles have the top floor surrounded..”

He took a few more steps and his eyes widened. Dorvo Zin was lying face up on the ground, his open gaze vacantly staring up at the ceiling. Altair cursed to himself and moved past him. He could hear a struggle up ahead, and he ignored his pain and rushed to the source before another death could occur.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"Evac is one minute out." the transport pilot announced over the comm.

He reached the top of the stairs, smoke thick in the air. The Warmaster had been hit; the assassins must have taken out the whole squad that had been assigned to guarding the conference room.

Jonathen pushed the door to the top floor open slowly. It was hard to see through the fog, but his eyes had mostly cleared from the smoke exposure earlier. He came up from behind two assassins as they waited for the Warmaster to round the corner. He shot one, but the other spun and knocked his blaster aside before swinging with a knife. Joanthen jumped back, but the assassin pressed the attack. Jonathen reached and grappled with the assassin as he tried to plunge the blade into Jonathen's chest. They struggled, but Jonathen reached his sidearm and shot up through his attacker's jaw.

"Warmaster!" Jonathen called out. "We need to get you out of here!" he said, spotting the wounded leader. Jonathen ripped off his own mask and pushed it into the Warmaster's grasp.

"Evac is 30 seconds out." the transport pilot came over the comm.

"Are you able to walk?" he asked. Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. It was Sharda Gav leveling a blaster at the back of the Warmaster's head. Without thinking, Jonathen slammed into the tiefling, sending him to the floor. The blaster shot meant for the Warmaster struck Jonathen in the stomach. The lieutenant grunted as he fell. Sharda shifted the blaster, ready to finish the Warmaster off with a second shot.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair toppled to the ground, not an easy feat. As a Matukai he was very difficult to tackle, but Baize was clearly determined. He fell just in time for the bolts to fly and he could see Vani crouching on the ground while screaming. Altair refused Baize’s mask, “Absolutely not, soldier, keep it over your face!” He commanded. He coughed and sputtered, but he conjured up the Force to keep himself conscious.

His eyes watering, he couldn’t help but act, using the Force to send Sharda flying back and slamming into the wall behind him. It was hard enough to knock him out instantly. The blaster bolt went wide, thankfully missing everyone.

Altair shakily got to his feet, hoisting up Baize as well, “Come on…we have to…get to evac,” He called out raspily, motioning for Vani to go with them. Thankfully, they were already on their way up to the top floors and he could see a speeder hovering to let them onboard. He pushed Vani in first, followed by Baize. Altair was the last to hoist himself up, plopping to the floor as consciousness left him.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

Jonathen's eyes stung, even after replacing the mask. He coughed as he was pulled to his feet a moment later. How was the Warmaster still standing? The slugthrower certainly broke some of Jonathen's ribs, and he had been wearing armor.

They made their way to the top floor and loaded into the evac transport. As soon as they pulled away from the building, the Warmaster collapsed into unconsciousness. Joanthen reached down, checking his vitals. His pulse was steady, and the bleeding was controlled for a moment. "We need to get back to the Imperial ship in orbit. The medbay there can look after the Warmaster." he said to the pilot.

"Are you okay, mam?" he asked the remaining planetary representative. She nodded her head as the ship flew over the plaza below. "Imperial Forces can restore order; you only need to give the word." she thought for a moment. She was now the most powerful person in this world, but she had enemies and would need support if she was to maintain control. The Empire offered that support. "Do it," she said. Jonathen nodded.

He held up his comm. "This is Lt. Baize. The Warmaster has been secured and evacuated. All units subdue protestors and secure the plaza." he said.

Their forces were trained, and the protestors broke quickly when given actual opposition. The old Empire would have slaughtered this lot, but they were a new Imperial Army. They now dispersed the crowd, merely arresting those who refused. They would be turned over to planetary forces.

Jonathen leaned back in his chair, feeling the broken ribs before checking on the Warmaster. Within minutes a medical team had taken him and were seeing to the tiefling. Jonathen's wounds were not severe, and he was not important enough to warrant care. He found a chair, dragged it to the medbay door, and slumped down it. He would remain on watch until relieved.

By the time the Warmaster had come to, Vani Carn would have already submitted an official request for Imperial Aid. She would see if the Warmaster was truthful about this new Empire.

@Sreeya