Caelus System
41 ABY

Erinyes’ transmission opened without any niceties or preamble. “Appius, I need to see you aboard the Axios. Make it fast, and don’t tell anyone you’re coming—not even Ankira.”

“I’m kind of busy right now,” Appius said, sighing silently and resisting the urge to remind the Zeltron that she didn’t actually run things around here anymore. “How important is it?”

“Important enough that I’m sober.” The transmission cut off.

The rest of the time between Appius standing from his desk and him setting foot aboard Taldryan’s flagship was a blur of confusion and anxiety. What could possibly have happened to make Erinyes, of all people, stop drinking? Appius wasn’t prone to worrying, but by the time his shuttle had arrived aboard the Axios, he’d practically worn a hole in the deck plates with his pacing. Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to wait long, as he saw the red-headed Adept waiting for him when the boarding ramp lowered. “What’s going on?”

“Come on.” Erinyes turned on her heel and strode out of the docking bay, forcing Appius to advance to a hustle to keep up. When he was in earshot, the Zeltron dropped her voice low. “I’ve gotten confirmation from sources on Arx and Chyron that there’s a conspiracy targeting you.”

“What? Me? Why?” And why hadn’t Taldryan’s intelligence services been doing their frakking jobs? This was all too much for Appius to take in as he and Erinyes race-walked towards… well, she hadn’t told him where they were going, but something was sending shivers up his spine.

“All I can say right now is that it extends to the highest echelons of both the Clan and the Brotherhood as a whole. Even the Dark Council might be involved.” Erinyes led Appius to a heavily-protected section of the Star Destroyer, one that served as a meeting area and war room for the Clan Summit. Appius hadn’t had occasion to use it yet, and the corridors seemed somewhat foreign to him, despite bearing the same sterile Imperial design as the rest of the ship.

“Well, what are we going to do about it? We can’t just stand by with a threat like this lurking over our heads!”

“No, of course not.” Around another corner, Erinyes punched a series of codes into a door keypad—something else Appius would have to get revoked later, he told himself. The door slid open, revealing a semi-circle of chairs filled with shadowy figures.

Appius skidded to a halt as he looked up, nearly bumping into Erinyes from behind. “What’s all this, now?”

“The conspiracy.”

Before Appius fully had a chance to process her words, Erinyes cracked a grin and waved a hand, and an invisible force lifted the Taldryan Consul off his feet. Appius recovered his balance just in time to hear the door hiss shut. He reached for his lightsaber, but the room’s lights came up before his emerald blade could spring to life, revealing a circle of faces both physical and holographic.

The first two faces he saw, anyone could’ve recognised: Jac Cotelin and Telaris Cantor, Grand Masters of the Brotherhood. Then, no less than three members of the Dark Council: Howlader, Zxyl, and Rian, the latter two men somewhat more familiar but no less imposing in their stature. Appius’ former Proconsul, Justinios, had his trademark scooter leaning against his oversized chair. Rounding out the collection were Benevolent, Andan, and an empty seat, which Erinyes plopped into unceremoniously.

“You’ve made quite a name for yourself, Appius,” Rian said, scratching his jaw. “Even people on Arx are noticing.”

“And not a moment too soon,” Shanree put in. “Appius has been more than pulling his weight for ages now.”

Zxyl shook his head. “You know full well that we don’t have the luxury of putting all of our attention on one Clan. Besides, it takes time to gather the Taldrya and get a coherent opinion on… well, anything.”

“Unless it involves Howie and food,” Erinyes put in, finally cracking her ever-present flask of tsiraki. “Would someone who has more gravitas than I do like to make this official?”

The two Grand Masters, as inscrutable as ever, remained silent. Howlader seemed to perk up momentarily at the mention of food, but just as quickly receded into his usual sour expression. Nobody else seemed too eager to take the lead, until–

“Yeah, sure.” Zxyl pushed himself out of his chair. “Appius Wight, the Sons and Daughters of Taldryan commend your service to the Clan. You’ve proven time and again your willingness to put the welfare of Taldryan and its members ahead of your own, and Taldryan has flourished under your leadership. In light of your efforts, the Scions of the Clan have decided unanimously to induct you into our ranks.”

“I, er…” The situation was moving too fast for Appius to organize his thoughts.

The Regent snorted. “You don’t need to say anything, vod. Just get back out there and keep making us proud.”

---

Fellow members of the Brotherhood,

A few weeks ago, the current Taldryan Consul Appius Wight was nominated - and unanimously accepted by everyone who voted, including active and currently inactive members of the Sons and Daughters of Taldryan - as a Taldrya. Appius has been a driving force within the Clan for the past two years, and has shown exceptional leadership in pushing his members to be active and partaking in that process himself. In those two years, he has spent them entirely in leadership within the clan. He has broken cross-clan borders to from strong relationships around the club, exemplifying what I personally think is the ideal member.

Thank you Appius, for everything you do for Taldryan and the Brotherhood at large.

The Scions of Taldryan