Fiction Update

48 Hours Later Taldryan Tower Port Kasiya Post Election

Truth be told, that had to be the most interesting election nights Appius had ever witnessed, which wasn't saying much considering most election nights were like sitting in a tub of bacta watching paint dry.

Not this time, though. Jorm had barely been in office as Chyron Chancellor for twenty-fours hours and internal reports suggested that public indecency and unscrupulous actions were up by sixty-nine percent! Only time would tell how his position would affect the relationship between Chyron and Taldryan. Appius had high hopes, though. For how unconventional Jorm was, he'd had no reason to doubt him thus far. Then again, he'd definitely heard some stories from Aylin…

Speaking of his Nautolan friend and comrade, she and Dasha had once again taken residence on floor forty-two of the tower. Both engineers and slicers were especially giddy at how well their new glitter weapon had performed, and wanted to go straight back to work perfecting something new. Every time Appius saw a small droid in the corridor, he paused and waited for the inevitable glitter explosion. It hadn't happened yet, but when it did, he'd be ready for it.

Zentru’la's men had done an outstanding job, and Appius had ensured they were paid well with a little added bonus to boot. Despite the stern exterior, Appius could tell the good General appreciated the gesture, and no doubt Orson Trent was using his bonus to get plastered somewhere before spending the night with some unfortunate soul. He and Darrio had that in common at least.

Tracinya was now on Orth, serving a prison sentence conducted by himself, and overseen by the Regent. Her situation was unique, but Taldryanites had died at her blade, and punishment was due. She was set to finish her term by the end of the month, but there was undoubtedly going to be those who understandably didn't trust her after what happened. Unfortunately, she wasn't the type to just sit down and accept her fate.

That was where Cryo came in. She calmed Tracinya down, and with the Kasiya Protection Programme, as well as the weight she carried as Deputy Governess of Port Kasiya, she had taken it upon herself to investigate matters involving the Moxx personally to ensure this never happened again. Appius suspected there was something more personal going on between her and Tracinya, which was part of what prompted that action, but decided not to pry. It wasn't his business anyways.

Then there was Zxyl. Appius finally understood why the Regent of the Brotherhood had lingered around as long as he had. Appius had been named as a Scion of Taldryan. What made it even more surprising given their personal history, was that Zxyl himself was the one to put his nomination forward. Perhaps they could put the past behind them after all?

Teebu had returned to Port Kasiya, grumbling and groaning about, in his own words, 'How ineffective the tower's defenses were that a would-be assassin was able to take a punt shot at the Consul whilst he wasn't in the system.' The Proconsul had gone over the details of his meeting with the Imperial Remnants;

Most systems are in concurrence for working with us as part of a new Taldryan Dominion. Some were opposed, others neutral. The three Remnant factions however are proving to be potentially hostile in the future. Grand Moff Sliven is proven to be a potential threat in the future.

Teebu then set about his personal mission to improve everything he saw a flaw in. Appius decided to leave him to it. It was almost impossible to talk to the Proconsul when he had his mind in overdrive like that.

Zaesti had done her job as lead Taldryan Spymaster of the OSI, and pried all the necessary information from the Clawdite's mind, as well as the two Twi'lek Moxx thugs Jorm had left tangled up for good measure. This led Appius to his first task for the morning.

The Taldryan Consul turned to the entrance to his office and made a small sliding gesture with his hand. The door slid shut, and he then raised his hand and slowly lowered it to his side, dimming the lights in the process.

Appius stood in the centre of the room as the projector produced the holographic image of a Human male in his mid-forties.

"Yorinobu Arasaka! A pleasure to see you again as always," Appius clasped his hands together, a large grin forming on his helmetless face.

"Did you request this conversation just to gloat?" Yorinobu asked. "I am a very busy man."

Appius rolled his eyes. "Of course. I'm just calling to inform you that Celina is safe and sound. She spent the night here with us at the Taldryan Tower."

A drop of sweat formed on Yorinobu's brow. "I… don't know who…"

"Yorinobu, don't play dumb with me," Appius' expression became stern and serious. "Your daughter probed her mind. We know everything. It was you who hired her to kill me and Jorm so you'd eliminate any competition for your rise to Chancellor."

Yorinobu scowled. "It sickens me that my daughter is working with you."

"And it sickens me that you'd cheap out on a half-decent assassin," Appius said. "Ten-thousand credits? I'm worth at least ten times that!"

Yorinobu sighed and rolled his eyes. "If you are quite done with your flippant accusations, I have other business to attend to."

"Of course. Oh, before I forget, just one more thing before you go," Appius leaned in closer. "Two can play that game."

Yorinobu barely had time to comprehend what Appius meant before a E-11 sniper rifle fired and hit him between his eyes. Yorinobu reeled back and dropped out of the call, dead.

The communicator on Appius' waist began to vibrate, and he eagerly picked it up to answer the call.

"Nice shot, Circe."

The blue-hued image of the Sephi assassin came into view. She gave a nod of her head and then disappeared from sight. The call ended and Appius raised the lights just in time for his office door to slide open. In rolled Teebu, riding atop his trademark BB-8 unit, with the same neutral expression on his face that Appius had become accustomed to.

"Did I miss it?" Teebu asked, getting a nod from Appius. "A shame. I would have liked to have seen him die with my own eyes."

"I know," Appius spoke gently, like he was talking to an old friend. "But he won't be bothering us anymore. That should be the end of any surprises for a little while."

Teebu shuffled upon the top of his BB-8 unit. "And what about Zaesti? Does she know?"

Appius averted his gaze. "She does not, and it needs to stay that way."

"Agreed. This stays between us," Teebu said. "She's more useful working for us, than against us. This was in the interest of Taldryan security. Nothing more."

Appius moved over to his desk, taking his seat. "Tell me more about this meeting you had with the Remnants. I went over your report. Some of the details are interesting to say the least."

Teebu cracked a small smile at he approached the desk. "Of course. It's quite the tale…"

—

Unknown Location 40 ABY

The Zabrak's heart thundered like the crimson waterfalls that filled the streams around her, providing warmth in an orange glow. The night filled the starless skies above, tainted by the dark side of the Force. Darkness was her ally, and her rage gave her strength. It gave her focus, and her Master's teachings had proven true in the end. Even if the old fool was right, it was her destiny to kill him.

She hated Yorinobu Arasaka. Yet, it was that hate that drove her forward like a sharp blade ready to cut into his most loathed enemies. It was their destiny to rule over the Caelus System, then she would take Yorinobu's place as supreme ruler. He looked forward to the day he would see the life fade from her Master's eyes, how deep she could plunge the knife in his back just to see how much blood she could spill. First, it would be Yorinobu, then the Caelus System, then the Brotherhood, and finally the rest of the wretched, miserable galaxy.

She hated Taldryan for taking that privilege away from him. News of Yorinobu's surprise death made the Caelus News, and he flew into a blind rage with nothing to take his anger out on except the dirt on which he now lived.

Footsteps echoed in his chamber, and she rose to meet the one they belonged to. She reached for the lightsaber hilt at her waist and activated the blood-red blade.

"Put your weapon away. I am of no threat to you."

The voice came from a woman, one that spoke with the voice of someone with a higher class stature.

"I'll decide that. Who are you!?"

The woman emerged before him in the orange glow of the cavern. Despite the crimson lightsaber pointing at her face, she held a confident, if unnerving smile. "I am Ceyra Ky'Lian, and I come to you with an offer."

"What could you offer me?" the Zabrak asked, keeping her lightsaber pointed at the former Chancellor.

"Revenge. With a side dish of Taldryan's demise and rule over the Caelus System."

Her eyes widened, and she retracted the blade of his weapon and placed it back on her waist. "Explain."

Ky'Lian's smile stretched even further across her face. "Yorinobu spoke highly of you. Furia, isn't it?"

Furia watched Ky'Lian closely as she moved about the cavern. One slip, and she wouldn't hesitate to cut her down where she stood.

"I'll take that as a yes," Ky'Lian said, each word laced with a smug undertone. "You were more powerful than your master. You knew it, and he knew it too. It's why he distanced himself from you as much as he could. I'm offering a partnership."

Furia raised a brow. "What do you get out of this?"

"The pleasure of seeing Taldryan destroyed, and the Caelus System back in the hands of those who are worthy. All we need to do is increase our numbers."

Furia scoffed. "Good luck. My Master built an entire navy under Taldryan's nose and it wasn't enough to destroy them. There are few that would ally with us for this cause."

"Few, but not none," Ky'Lian revealed a peculiar item from her robe. It was a blood-red crystal that hummed with dark energy. It thumped like a heartbeat, and radiated extraordinary power. Furia was enthralled by the object and the possibilities that lay within.

"Tell me," Ky'Lian said. "What do you know about the Children of Mortis?"

War!

What is it good for? Getting crescents and taking part in the Brotherhood's biggest event of the year!

If you read Howie's Report then you likely know that the next Great Jedi War starts on the 28th of May, and there will be a transfer ban in place from one week prior (21st of May) until the end of the event.

I want to take the opportunity to talk.about the upcoming War. It's my first one as Consul. Am I nervous? Hell yeah. Why? Because I care. I care about this Clan, and I care about all of you. Yes, this is a Star Wars fan club where we spend time, hang out, maybe write, draw, game, do puzzles, or RP, and I've had the genuine pleasure over the last couple of years since I've been in Taldryan to build wonderful friendships within the Clan, and get to know everyone. I can say with 100% certainty that you guys are amazing.

The Great Jedi War is a chance to show just how amazing I know you all are. Whether that be fiction, art, gaming, or whatever. Each of us has something to contribute. The bin system makes participating easier than it has ever been, and every entry helps the Clan move up in the rankings. In last year's Rite of Supremacy,Taldryan achieved second place. I know we can do just as well, maybe even better if we all band together like we always do in war time.

"But what if I'm not good at art, or gaming, or fiction?"

Well, I'm happy to say it doesn't matter. Yes, being good at something increases the chances of placement, but you can still contribute just by participating!

If we use myself as an example for a moment. Most of you who know me know I'm a fiction guy. I write a lot of words, my keyboard goes brr etc etc. Yet, if you've ever seen any of my art entries, or my times for puzzles, you know I'm atrociously bad at them. My point is that every member can put in an entry regardless of skill level. Do your best and have fun doing it. That's all anyone can ask. We can all be there for each other to proof, give advice, and help encourage one another. After all, Taldryan is;

A brotherhood within a Brotherhood.

Myself and the rest of the Taldryan Summit will be here to assist with anything. Just shoot us a message on Discord, or an email if you prefer, and we will help to the best of our ability.

But, anyways…

The Caelus System

Speaking of the Taldryan Summit, our very own pint-sized Proconsul, Teebu, has been hard at work updating our Clan wiki pages. There will be more information on that once these updates are officially on the wiki, but I want to draw attention to something that was pointed out.

The logistics of the Caelus System up until now has been that we have been in the Tunka Sector, very close to Bespin where the Clan does trading for resources. However, if you take a look at the galactic map, Bespin is nowhere near the Tunka Sector. So that raised the question of what do we do? Do we leave it as is? Or do we move the Caelus System to a different sector? If we did the latter then we had to be sure that;

The Caelus System remains in the Outer Rim. We have a logical explanation for getting resources from Bespin. It provides opportunities for Clan stories and storytelling, otherwise there's no point in doing it and we might as well remain where we are.

The summit discussed it, and after a brief chat with Evant, Bubba, and Idris just to be sure, we have moved the Caelus System to the Seitia Sector as seen in the image below!

You might be wondering what the glowing white line is that goes over the sector and the Caelus System. That is the Correlian Trade Spine, and it answers all our problems. We stay in the Outer Rim, we have a logical reason for resources from Bespin getting into the system, and being on a trade spine creates numerous possibilities for Clan stories in the future. Anything from spice cartels, Imperial Remnants, and even Sith Cults would want a piece of the economic hub that is the Caelus System.

A big thanks goes to Teebu for going over this and bringing this to our attention.

Urban Exploration

Our very own Ektrosis Summit, Crysenia and Cryo put on Urban Exploration. A series of comps to expand upon the Lore of Kasiya.

Justinios took first place, Tracinya took second, and some silly Mandaboo took third.

Congratulations to Justinios and Tracinya!

Our Newest Professional

For those who are unaware, Cryo recently attained the promotion to JM4, Professional in her case. JM4 I'd one of the first big milestones in tbe club, and I wanted to take the opportunity to congratulate her. She's been a fantastic member and Aedile, and I can't wait to see what else she achieves!

You can see the promotion recommendation HERE.

Seals of Loyalty

I want to take a moment to congratulate the recipients in Taldryan for this year's Seals of Loyalty, Tracinya and Jorm. Congratulations to you both!

Port Kasiya: A Game Of Cat And Mouse

For the last month, Taldryan members have been participating in a run on where Appius gets shot at (again) and had to find and capture the ones responsible for the assassination attempt.

The RP finished recently, and the word counts have been logged and Clusters of Ice have been handed out. In total, exactly 26,500 words were written between 9 members.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated, and I look forward to running more RP's after the Vendetta!

Club News

• The Justicar released a refresher on the Nepotism Policy.

• Zoron is appointed to the Star Chamber as a temporary member.

• The Fist released an update to the Rites of Combat.

• The Voice released a report with some information regarding the Children of Mortis.

• James got promoted to EL4 in this Grand Master Report

Competitions

We have some Taldryan Members running competitions to go over!

Teebu is running a comp where he wants new things!

Centam is running a fun Space Battle Art Comp!

I am running a GJW Preparation Series!

As always, you can find more competitions on the site HERE.

AskAppiusAnything

This is the section of the report you all know about by this point. You ask, and I answer!

• Aylin Asks: What would be your food of choice in a food fight?

Hot soup which I'd put into dual water pistols.

‐‐‐

• Teebu Asks: What would you do if you were given a pet Wampa from Evant?

If it's from Evant, cherish it and make it a part of the family.

‐‐‐

• Raistline Asks: When is the only time that today and tomorrow come before yesterday?

In stories.

‐‐‐

• Tracinya Asks: Where am I?

In a kitchen, working.

‐‐‐

• Centam Asks: What would you do for a Klondike bar?

Considering I've never eaten a Klondike bar, not much. XD

‐‐‐

• Zentru’la Asks: What do you hope to achieve in the upcoming GJW?

On a Clan level, I hope to achieve a good level of activity from everyone. Obviously, everyone has different lives and the amount of time and effort anyone can put into anything varies, but if I can at least encourage people to do the best they can, then I'm happy. If we get a good placement at the end of it all, then even better!

Personally, I'm gunning for fiction comp placements. I've got ideas buzzing around in my head for potential story ideas that I'm excited about to be able to explore.

Lastly, and this is the most important, I want everyone to have fun. That's what these Vendettas are supposed to be, after all. They are a time for us all to come together and enjoy being part of this club and Clan together. Regardless of the results, if our Clan members come out of it saying they had a blast, then I can say I did a good job as Consul.

‐‐‐

• Tahiri Asks: Are there any competitions that are your favorite? Your least favorite?

I'm sure it's no surprise that I'm a fiction guy. I love writing stories, and it's the thing that keeps me engaged in the club along with the great members we have here. My least favourites are puzzles. I find them frustrating, but that's just because I suck at them.

‐‐‐

• Crysenia Asks: How many X-wings are we gonna buy with our winnings?

If you put in a good showing in the war, then we'll see, won't we? 😉

‐‐‐

• Arch Asks: Taldryan is one of the big success stories when it comes Discord RP sessions. Do you have any thoughts on how the new form of activity has impacted your work as CON and how your colleagues in other units might want to approach it?

So, Taldryan started regularly RPing when we made the move to Discord, and since then, it's been a regular part of our events. When we did the Port Kasiya Invasion, Teebu ran the RP alongside the competitions to great success. Were there any problems? Absolutely, but we learn and we adjust for the future.

Sometimes, Clan events have formed from RP's that have taken place. The most notable examples being the Orth Prison Break RP and the Claiming Aidos RP. The RP's started first, and then as members became more engaged, we created the events around them. It has created opportunities for us to see the kind of stories our Clan members like to take part in.

As for how my colleagues in other units might want to approach it? Well, I guess the first thing is just be willing to take part! I firmly believe in leading by example, so show up and take part. Honestly, you'll have a blast too. The second thing is listen to your members. That sounds obvious, but let me explain. Taldryan has done a few various forms of RP now. With Dice or Without, strictly following CS' or being more loose with it. Eventually, we created something that works for us, but every unit is different. Arcona's is likely different from COU's, COU's is likely different from Taldryan's, and Taldryan's is likely different from CSP's, just as examples. Every group of members are different,so have fun exploring what works and what doesn't, and you will create something unique to your units. :)

Final Words From The Consul

The Great Jedi War is getting closer, and this will be our chance to show what we are made of. I know you guys will make me proud, and i'll be right there alongside you!

Until next time…