Open Event Newbie Event: Crisis on Verona

[The Storyteller]

__F R I A R _ L A W R E N C E

Friar Lawrence listened intently to the false pageboy, his visage the perfect mask of serene attentiveness. Inside, his mind spun steadfast, the gears of his stratagems clicking and whirring. He appraised the young man before him, drinking in the raw fear that barely rippled the surface of his defiant facade.

"Young man," the Friar began, his voice both soft and stern. "There is a delusion that power can only breed through aggression. But history has proven otherwise. Conflicts and struggles might shape the surface, but beneath, the core of society longs for tranquility."

His sharp gaze bore into the boy's. "Threats will only amplify the discord, further exacerbating the situation. Is it not wiser to unite, to guide the people towards enlightenment and prosperity, than to instigate chaos and fuel their fears?"

The air grew heavy with tension, yet the friar remained steadfast. His heart pounded with a cautious thrill. In this potentially hazardous confrontation, there existed a glimmer of opportunity. He could sense the wavering uncertainty beneath Ikaran's stern demeanour, a fissure in the young man's resolve.

As Ikaran hesitated, the friar's decision was swift. He would not be browbeaten into silence. Lifting his voice, he called, "Guards!" His call echoed through the halls, a clarion call for support. Would the guards arrive in time? The answer hung in the balance, stirring an icy thread of unease within him. He braced himself, resolved to meet whatever may come head-on. For the cause he pursued was greater than any individual, even himself.

@vinter

 

[Rair]

Tonight the wall is coming down​

I am stronger than my fears

This is the mountain that I climb​

​

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The shuttle trip to the planet was uneventful now that she was alone and Rair was glad for the peace. She did take a moment on the flight to alert her compatriots that she was out of danger and she would stop sending the signal. Honestly, it took more of her concentration than she would like to admit to remember it and it was easier to operate freely.

Her next stop she weighed. Returning to speak with the Capulets seemed unfruitful, especially since the other pair had gone to speak with the heiress there. Until they had an answer from her as to her intentions, the Montagues likely didn't need much more speaking with, especially as she was certain that was progressing well. Which meant the friar. She didn't personally have much information about him, and after what she had seen so far, she had some questions.

So once she landed back on the planet, she was off to seek his counsel and hopefully put the finishing touches on their work. She did, however, make one quick stop to let the Capulet guards know she had seen the station and to alert their King that she was grateful he had been honest, and that she truly believed they could achieve peace. She just asked that he watch out for influence from the other men, as she was certain they weren't looking for peace. The Sith, after all, weren't known to be interested in such things.

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Got 100 steps to go

Tonight I'll make it 99​

@Aberforth

 

[Cremek "Krayt" Candorus]

Cremek of course, hadn't waited for her to even leave the station before he sent a message to the king that she tried to acquired blueprints, and then left when she was denied. he of course didn't know what she was thinking, pulling a move like that, but he certainly could use that.

He hollo'ed the wise king.

"greeting my king, as you can see, the jedi aren't to be trusted, not only did she try to acquire the blueprints, before a loyal engineer turned her away, she tried to seek the original ones too, it seems. do give your engineer a raise." he smirked under his helmet, fool girl just did his job for him.

he would upload his findings to the king.

"now do you believe us when we say your rivals aim to sway you, and want the station for themselves?"

 

[ikaran]

Ikaran tried to keep his composure but he didn’t know what would come. “I wish you hadn’t done that.”

Ikaran throws a punch to the abdomen.

 

[Ja'Rek]

Ja'Rek was a generally impatient sort of person. He needed to find out what this station was really planned for, and he didn't want to stand around any longer. He walked off down one of the corridors, trying to find something incriminating.

Nothing particularly interesting caught his eye, the corridors had no distinguishing features. Ja'Rek was starting to think that he had made a mistake when he nearly got lost on a couple of occasions. He was about to give up when he saw a sign that said "Reactor Room."

He followed the sign to a large room with what seemed to be some kind of power generator. Ja'Rek didn't really know what kind it was, but he had seen enough in his time to recognise the general structure. He looked around to see if anyone was present. There were security cameras dotted around, but after a quick assessment, he noticed there was a small blind spot.

He walked over to the area, casually looking around, then quickly ducked down and placed a thermal detonator with a remote trigger under one of the many ducts coming from the reactor. He stood again, did another quick check of the area, and left the room.

Once back in the corridor, Ja'Rek walked with a casual demeanour, but his heart was pounding in his chest. He knew what he had just done wasn't right, and he had no intention of setting off the device. But he wanted some insurance considering the forces at work. He knew that if the device was found, there was no way of tracing it back to him, as he had recently acquired it from his last bounty, a known terrorist with ties to a group of Hutts.

Ja'Rek took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. He had done what he had to do. Now it was time to get out of here.

 

[Cremek "Krayt" Candorus]

Did the mandalorian not think that the siths gaze would not fall on him when he went to do such a task? well it did, not only did he not interfere, he watched him set the bomb, he frankly did not give a damn, as this was more fodder for his cuase.

"oya, and godspeed."
he feigned sympathy to the fellow mandalorians cuase.


he watched him walk off, before resuming the line to the king.


"an example, here for your own eyes to see the rivals that fear your... magnificent station mighty lord? now do you believe me when I say there are powers actively moving against you?"

How could he not see this and NOT use this? hahha! this was exactly what he needed. Cremek was always a master at turning a setback into opportunity, it what made him so effective at what he did after all, it was doubtful he would be chosen for mission after mission if he was incompetent.

To put it simply, when champion candorus was on the hunt, the prey was found, and while he couldn't always promise victory after victory, he could promise results.

 

[Trael Osso]

Heading to a shuttle bound for Verona. The shuttle ride back was peaceful and he could relax a bit without the jedi present. His mandalorian companion was bent on a war. The companion on the moon was a wild card. The one he sent to the church had an air of nervousness around him. Trael sighed, of course he had to be the level headed one in a group of psychos.

Worried that he hasn't heard from Ikaran he would head to the church hoping that the cover of their order hasn't been blown. Only the king knew of the siths involvement directly and he wanted to keep it that way.

 

[The Storyteller]

__F R I A R _ L A W R E N C E

Friar Lawrence, ever the prudent tactician, had calculated a multitude of outcomes following his cry for aid. Yet, the swift punch delivered by Ikaran was not among them. As the force landed against his abdomen, he felt a sharp stab of pain, like a bolt of lightning streaking across a stormy sky.

The initial shock swept through him, followed by an insidious squeeze around his heart. He recognized the symptoms. He had witnessed it in others. An elderly man, his fragile heart strained beyond endurance, was facing an immediate myocardial infarction.

A tidal wave of regret and bitterness swelled within him. His grand designs for Verona, his secret ambitions, would perish alongside him. The irony was not lost on him - a lifetime dedicated to orchestrating power shifts, only to be cut short by a reckless youth.

The room seemed to spin, the edges blurring into a vortex of color and sound. His body failed him, knees buckling under the weight of the unforeseen event. He collapsed, his body hitting the cold, unforgiving stone floor with an unceremonious thud. His final breath left him as a sigh, a quiet surrender to the inevitable.

The clamor of guards rushing into the room punctured the eerie silence following his demise. They found Friar Lawrence lifeless on the floor, with the boy standing close by, caught amidst the tumultuous aftermath of his actions.

@vinter

 

[ikaran]

Ikaran looks at the guards holding his saber close by. “Uh oops.” Not letting his gaze off the guard he calculated his next move quickly. Ikaran lifted his hands above his head, and surrendered.

this would not reveal his position as a sith. And with the friar, well he’s not available. So there will be no disruption in the plans. Ikaran still kept his guard up not wanting the same fate as the friar.

 

[Rair]

Tonight the wall is coming down​

I am stronger than my fears

This is the mountain that I climb​

​

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​

"The Friar is dead," the girl said into her comms to alert the padawans. She didn't even make it inside the man's church before the sounds of alarm went up and the shouting told her everything she needed to know. Slipping close, she spotted the culprit and frowned. The young man who had entered the throne room with the Mandalorian Sith and his compatriot before leaving. So this is where he had gone. At least Caeli hadn't been caught up in it all.

Odds he was a Sith as well?

Not relevant, in truth. He was surrendering and that was enough.

"I want you two guarding the heiress and King Theseus if you can, particularly the former. I've got a bad feeling about this." Rair didn't bother to state where she was going next as she wound her way through the gathering crowd.

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Got 100 steps to go

Tonight I'll make it 99​

@Skippypls | @Marianne

 

[Ja'Rek]

Ja'Rek made his way back to the station's hangar and boarded the next shuttle heading back to the planet. He was accompanied by a few of the construction team personnel, who were discussing everyday things as he sat in silence. They complained about the lack of progress on the station since the blockade, their families, and their plans for the future.

Ja'Rek didn't know why he had planted the bomb. He was a professional, and a second of lost control had resulted in putting these ordinary people at risk. Going back to retrieve it would be too risky, and giving an anonymous tip would more likely heighten the tension to breaking point. He had no choice but to leave it there and hope it was discovered at a later time when things had calmed down.

As the shuttle took off, Ja'Rek stared out the window, his mind racing. He had never felt so conflicted before. On the one hand, he knew that the bomb was a threat to innocent people, and he had to do something to stop it. On the other hand, he didn’t trust the King and wanted to do away with the station and the King all together.

Once back on the planet, Ja'Rek decided to go and talk to the Friar and explain what he had done. The Friar was wise and would know the best course of action.

Ja'Rek arrived at the monastery and found that it was cordoned off by the local Security Force. He approached one of the guards and explained who he was and that he was here to see the Friar.

The guard told Ja'Rek that the Friar was dead. Ja'Rek was shocked and saddened. Although he had only known the Friar a short time, he respected him greatly and he knew that he would miss his wise counsel.

Ja'Rek's emotions got the better of him. He saw red and stormed off. As he walked away, he pulled out the remote for the bomb on the station. Without thinking of the consequences, he pushed the button.

Click.

@Aberforth

 

[Cremek "Krayt" Candorus]

cremek was just outside the hallway, on the line with the king, having walked out to talk tactics going forward, when he felt it, then BAM cremek was sent flying due to the force of the explosion, his helmet visor cracking, though Mandalorian hardware was strong, he was fine, ish, few bruises, nothing some bacta couldn't fix, he gasped a little, panting, way too close.. then the gears turned.. he showed the king.

"look what the enemy and the jedi did!"

he coughed a little

"I'm fine, by the way.."

@Aberforth

 

[Trael Osso]

Trael had boarded a shuttle bound for Verona. Hearing an explosion and alarms raised as it had left the hangar. The shuttle ride back was peaceful and he could relax a bit without the jedi present. His mandalorian companion was bent on a war. The companion on the moon was a wild card. Worried that he hasn't heard from Ikaran he would head to the church hoping that the cover of their order hasn't been blown.

Upon landing he would head to the church. Arriving to see the area blocked off by security he would look around the crowd for Ikaran. Unable to spot him he would slink off into the crowd to inspect the situation.

@Aberforth

 

[Rair]

Tonight the wall is coming down​

I am stronger than my fears

This is the mountain that I climb​

​

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​

"Lord Montague," the girl said as she entered the man's estate and was presented before him. "I come today to beseech you for peace. I am Knight Rair of the Jedi Order and I come with my compatriots to Verona on your request. I believe you act nobly yet I feel the same of the Capulets who, from my experience, only seek peace as well. You both are fighting one another for a shared goal and I believe that is because fingers behind the scenes pull the strings. If you would venture with me to speak with King Theseus and his daughter, I suspect the four of us can see to it that Verona is the crown jewel King Theseus desires while you get what it is you desire."

Rair didn't bother mincing words or going for subtlety. The death of Friar Lawrence put them all in a precarious position and if the Sith did it intentionally and acted on it, then they were in danger, yet if she was quick enough and Marianne and Adora were correct about what they said, then all it would take was the truth being revealed from everyone.

It was too bad she hadn't found out what the Friar wished for. Death was never something to be celebrated, and perhaps his dreams could have been achieved as well.

With a shake of her head, the young woman cleared her mind of such thoughts and reached a hand out towards the noble. "Please, will you trust me?"

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Got 100 steps to go

Tonight I'll make it 99​

@Skippypls | @Marianne | @Aberforth

 

[The Gatekeeper]

• The bomb went off, taking out a huge chunk of it, killing many workers, and injuring many others. Not to mention ruining the vaunted space station, leaving much debris drifting orbit, and a lot of it making it's way to the planet's atmosphere.
• The authorities do not know who committed such an act.
• Any good will to negotiate between the feuding houses is lost as the Capulets are blaming the rival houses.
• As the Friar Lawarance is dead, he use his influence to to advocate for peace.
• In the days to come, Verona is on the brink of civil war, tensions are especially volatile. Fighting could break out at any given moment. Without the previous efforts by the Jedi to convince them to negotiate together, it would have been war between the houses immediately.
• @ikaran (@vinter2) although surrendered to the guards and held for questioning, it was determined that the Friar died of natural causes. Ikaran would be released.
• The others (@KaraLi @Javier esschoolbus @BlueGreen @Marianne @Hastur .etc @everyone else) managed to make it out of the Verona system safely.
  
  Suffice it to say, Verona is now is now a powder keg waiting to explode. Will others seem to quieten the strife and bring peace to the volatile world? Will others take advantage of this situation for their own ends? That is another story...

Spoiler: OOC

That is the ending of this event. Apologies for the delay. Hope you all enjoyed!