Rapora Wars: The Yaathkree Afair (Subplot RPG)

[Stellar_Magic]

Luke Skywalker smiled as the golden globe of the world's sun slowly rose above the horizon. Beside him Mara yawned as she leaned against the stone arch which supported the structure. Threepio glanced around the cooridors, his optical receptors glinting in the sun as Artoo sat quietly in the corner.

 

Arien slipped into the space seemingly unoticed in the Imperial Intelligence uniform. Still nothing could fool the two Jedi.

 

"Hello Arien," Mara said quietly as she turned away from the sunrise, "Travel lag is such a load of bantha spit..."

 

Luke nodded, "You can say that again."

[Trejiuvanat]

"Not that you will get much rest in these parts," Arien Yage smiled.

 

"Diplomatic missions, aren't they wonderful?" Mara quipped, and Luke led the new arrival away from the dark corridors.

 

"I imagine you have already detected some of our hosts security measures," Arien commented as she reclined on the stone arch.

 

Mara nodded carefully, that was Arien's confirmation that the Force was being blocked. "Makes the travel lag the more unbearable."

 

"I'm not really too worried about them, it'd certainly is meant to keep us safe." Luke commented. If the Force had been blocked the Rapora would have to deal with that, too.

 

"Have you made any progress with your diplomatic mission?" Mara asked.

 

"Not too much," Arien bit her lip. "The Vaathkree are hermetical to some extent. They do no have any explicit demand, but rather have pitted us to try to outbid the opposite party. So far no party has made an official offer, most of us are trying to outguess the other and provide the Rapora what they want."

 

"Any success?"

 

"Limited as ever, during dinner Etosh mentioned that 'a bit of trivial technology' could do much for their species. Considering the past affiliations to the Galactic REpublic and the New Republic, they should have had access to most technology we consider basic and trivial."

 

"Anything of military nature?" Mara asked.

 

Arien considered carefully. "Perhaps, but my investigation has taken another course."

 

"Durron." Luke said.

 

"You know what he did when he was here?" Arien asked.

 

Luke gritted his teeth and shook his head lightly. "No, any information on that mission would have either been recorded in the old Council Library on Coruscant, or in the Praxeum Archives on Yavin, and both of them were destroyed during the war."

 

"And asking the Jedi directly?"

 

"I wanted to do it in the morning but I have just received a special bulletin from Alliance Command." Luke grimly said. "Ord Mantell has fallen, among the casualties Kyp Durron was listed."

 

Arien closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Another world, so many other soldiers, officers and allies dead. "I am sorry. Does the report mention any Imperial casualties."

 

Mara looked at her. "On the Imperial side, Vana Dorja was reportes a missing in action, most of the command crews were safely evacuated, including Grand Admiral Oreton. The most important casualty has been the loss of Grand Admiral Thrawn, in a failed attempt to break the blockade."

 

Silence ruled over the next few moments. So much had changed drastically. Her whole perspective on the was now skewed. The Empire had lost much, but the galaxy had lost something greater than they could comprehend. The cunning of Oreton, the wisdom of the Jedi, they could not make up for the genius of Thrawn.

 

"Shocking news," she said calmly. The seasoned neutral tone of a diplomat spoke through her.

 

Luke and Mara nodded. Being so far from anywhere had a considerable effect, the full weight of the loss could not be felt.

 

"This has not altered my mission," Arien continued. "And a solution must be found. So there are no leads to Durron's role in past Vaathkree negotiations?"

 

Luke considered. "There might be one lead, I will have to look into that possibility."

 

Arien cocked an eyebrow. "May I learn what it is?"

 

"Jedi stuff," Mara answered after a quick glance to her husband. "Was tehre anything else?"

 

"Yes, one of my assistants has taken a sudden interest in Rapora linguistics, we were wondering if you would lend us your protocol droid for some hours to continue some research."

 

Mara frowned. Rapora Linguistics? That was probably the lamest excuse ever to loan a protocol droid. How many spy devices are you going to put in Goldenrod's head? Even if the Force was not with them, she could not believe Arien to do something of the sort. She did not trust her fully, and certainly she had not liked Luke's solution. But would she waste her effort to spy on her allies?

 

"Rapora linguistics?" Luke asked, having the same doubts as her wife.

 

"It sounds odd, but he claims some of their words sound bizarrely familiar."

 

"He is an Arkanian, yes?" Luke asked and Arien nodded.

 

"Interesting. I will send Threepio to you in the morning. I think there's not much more to say, and soon you will be visible even with that suit."

 

Arien said nothing else and vanished. Slightly annoyed by the Skywalker's secrecy, but they probably were feeling the same. She took a long walk around the Palace instead of the most direct route, for the first time she wanted some time to put her own thoughts together, especially after the shocking news the Jedi had shared with her.

[Stellar_Magic]

Calra slipped into the quarters they'd aquired, her legs trembling slightly, a subtle outward sign of the nervousness that plagued her. She glanced over at Councilor Valar, her heart beating all the faster. The last thing they needed were a pair of Jedi working against them.

 

Valar's eyes studied her for a moment, "What did you see Calra?"

 

"The Skywalkers are here."

 

"Indeed?" Valar smiled, his teeth gleaming in the light. Then he stood and stepped to the door, "Come now Calra."

 

"Councilor..." Calra began to say.

 

"The Skywalkers are a dangerous foe, that is true. They are also an honorable foe," Valar grinned at her, "Come on."

 

* * *

 

Mara paced the room as Ben plugged R2 into the corner recharger. She glanced over to Luke and shook her head, "I don't like it."

 

"I don't much like it either Mara, but the Imperials are our allies. We should at least help each other in unraveling the mytstery of the Rapora." Luke glanced at Ben, "Come on, its time for bed."

 

"Dad!" Ben replied instantly, "Its only..."

 

"Late," Mara cut him off, "We're not going to be running on Ossus time here. Go to bed."

 

"Alright," Ben said in a huff. He shuffled off to the room that had been given to him.

 

Luke sighed as the door shut behind his son, "How many bugs?"

 

"Too many," Mara replied quietly as her eyes swept the room. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Luke's eyes flicked across the room. He had a bad feeling about what was going on.

 

Mara opened the door and immediately froze with shock. She was starring face to face with a pair of rapora. Her jaw worked without uttering a sound for a moment before the Rapora spoke, "Masters Skywalker. I'm surprised that the council would be able to dispatch two such promiment jedi considering the state of the war."

 

"We came of our own volition," Luke said quietly.

 

"As do we all," The Rapora replied quietly, "I came here to speak of matters of peace, not war." He smiled as Mara and Luke exchanged glances, "You know as I do that the Rapora lack of the population to subjugate your Alliance, but at the same time we possess the power to wipe out your people."

 

"What exactly are you saying," Mara asked quietly. Then she straightened visibly, "Are you threatening to kill us all in order to keep your meager gains?"

 

"They only seem meager to you," Valar smiled as he turned away from them, "I'll be sure to the tell the timeless one that his old apprentice is as sharp as ever." He glanced at the second Rapora, "Come Calra."

 

The Rapora smiled again, "You always were a sharp one Jade."

[SOCL]

OOC: This is no longer an active RPG, so it is being taken off Announcement status. If you believe this should be placed back as an Announcement, or it becomes active once more, please contact me or any one of the others of the Moderator team.