49 replies to this topic

[James Stratus]

The High Prince had left two days early. A special private ceremony was about to take place at the Kuat Drive Yards. He had ordered certain individuals to be present. He also had also taken a semi vacation, if there was one, to spend some time alone with Dana before and after. It was a day early, and he arrived to inspect the new ship, the first of its class. It was indeed impressive. It was hard keeping such a project as this hidden from the person it was being built for, but he had managed to do it successfully through a series of gag orders, all which would soon be lifted. It was probably one of the few things that would go from being an extremely top secret project to a matter of public affairs. He had taken the Dawn Treader and snuck out of Coruscant alone with Dana and a couple Noghri. Koru had left a few days earlier with Kaidlen and the others to make preparations, though no one knew exactly when or how he would be arriving. He knew he couldn't have taken a capital ship without catching OVERMIND's attention, since he monitored the activities of such vessels closely, especially "special trips" that some would take away from normal duties. Their ship was now making ascent from the planet of Kuat into orbit to dock with the station to meet his team and their special guest who would arrive shortly.

[Diandra Devin]

Diandra had not followed her boss on that mini-vacation. She hadn't wanted to, knowing that she would've been a third wheel the entire trip. Poor guy, she thought. He should just go ahead and pop the question.

She herself had arrived only a few hours earlier on a luxury transport and acquired a room for herself at one of the many lodgings there on Kuat. Yet again, she had failed to bring a date with her. Who would have wanted to go with her anyway? Diandra had few friends, mostly women, and she suspected that if there weren't a lot of hot guys around, they didn't want to go. Thus, she had not extended them an invitation. The few male friends she did have were much too busy, she felt. Then again, neither did Diandra want to appear attached to anyone. The only person she had brought with her was Nirium, her lady's maid.

Diandra stood before the mirror in her hotel room, a tube of lipstick in hand. She leaned forwards and applied a light layer to her full lips before she pursed them and then studied her work. She'd already made up the rest of her face; now all she had left to do was slip into her gown and put her hair back.

Nirium helped her into the corset top by lacing her up in the back. It was an off-the-shoulder gown with a sweetheart neckline; the skirt itself was slender but not form fitting. The top was done in a deep champagne brocade and the skirt was several layers of chiffon in silk in a color that matched the top. The sleeves matched the skirt but were only one layer; they were wrist length and wide, dropping into a point at her knees. When she was dressed, she slipped into a pair of low backless heels before she stood still.

Nirium brushed out her long hair and then secured it with a simple golden barrette in a half-pulled back fashion. It was then that she donned a light sleeved cloak and procured an air taxi for herself to take her up to the space port. It didn't take long for her to arrive; she did recieve several strange looks from people to her manner of dress, but she didn't acknowledge those glances. Instead, she settled in on the next transport to the drive yards. She recognized several others there from the ball and knew them by name, though not personally.

When she arrived, she made her way to the rendezvouz point where she and the others who had been mentioned would meet Stratus and OVERMIND. Diandra found herself a seat and settled down into it to await the Prince and their special guest.

[Selina Vadcasta]

Selina had left on the same day that the High Prince had, but alone with an assigned Lambda shuttle. She'd always enjoyed flying, so it was a good opportunity to relax. It took her the better part of a day to get to Kuat, but still she had time before the presentation. Upon getting herself settled in, she allowed herself a training session. It had been a while since she'd had a day to herself, so she felt that she might as well use it effectively. This was a relatively new assignment after all, and who knew when she might get time to herself.

Her only responsibility was to get to the station before the High Prince did. That was certainly not a problem for her, as she always made sure to be early. Selina liked to get the lay of the land so to speak. Of course that wasn't always possible, but in her current position, that would be a good habit to keep. Dressed in her freshly pressed uniform, she awaited the others whom had been invited.

[Raithos Bodost]

*General Bodost stepped out of Ghost, his private YT-2400, and onto the space station orbiting Kuat. Once again in full dress uniform, General Bodost now bosted the full HC-2 IRSB rank insignia and was proudly displaying his bronze star. It had been some time since he had last been to Kuat, and he was amazed at how much larger even the formerly huge Kuati Drive Yards had gotten since then. Raithos had put in for a few days off to celebrate his promotion back home on Yaga Minor and had planned his schedule so that the trip to Kuat would come during the last few days, so as to not draw suspicion from anyone that might be checking the travel logs. Dusting off the dust on his dress uniform that hadn't really gathered there, but served as an outlet for nervous energy anyways, General Bodost took his first steps down the shipyard halls to where the High Prince had told him the ceremony would be taking place.*

Edited by Raithos Bodost, 25 January 2009 - 09:51 PM.

[Tavria Treyson]

Tavria and Marc arrived at the designated place, after previously spending the morning, in what the other KDY executives had termed "The War Room". It was where they had worked endlessly on the expansion of KDY. Well not only the expansion, but also the transformation of KDY into a next-generation shipyard. Tavria had been here for almost two weeks this time around, or about since the Royale Ball ended. She spent a lot of her time as Executor setting her sights on KDY, so that it would be going in the right direction, and then it would be time to move on to maybe another company for the IR. She would just have to see where things went.

[Kaidlen Shan]

Colonel Kaidlen Shan stepped onto the platform on which her ship The Void Echo rested. She had been on Kuat for a couple of days now, Captain Koru Tav with her. They were living on her ship, instead of trying to get rooms within the various hotels available, or within the Palace itself. There was no need to stay anywhere else, because the upcoming event was taking place at the KDY shipyards. At least, if things went like they should, the event would soon be over, and Kaidlen could return to her duties. She did not care at all for Kuat, even if the planet was listed as her homeworld in her personel files. She had not been born here, but discovered in and rescued from a massive pile of rubble back as a young child. But as she did not know what planet she had originated on, much less as to whom her actual people were, Kuat would do for her homeworld.
A feeling had the cat-like woman looking upwards, and a smile crossed her face at the sight of the incoming ship. Duty beckoned with the feeling she was getting. It was time.
"Captain Tav, duty calls." Kaidlen announced to her passenger, calling up the ramp.

[Dana Lance]

Dana had been both relieved and mad at Jim when he had returned to Coruscant. She had spent the last five years with him, their partnership growing strong and unbreakable. He was truly the first person she had allowed to see the inner her. He knew why she was motivated to go day to day. He knew her deepest darkest secrets and he knew the real person under the scars. Marek had been like a father to her, Jim was something else entirely. Dana could not put into words her feelings for Jim and she hoped she did not have to. She had agree to go with Jim to a planet he called home, Kuat, for two reasons. She had heard of this planet in passing conversation, but never had been. These inner systems where completely new to her. She had lived her whole life on the edges of wild space and unknown regions. And second, she refused to let Jim leave her behind. She did not feel at home on Coruscant and when Jim had left, she had felt extremely isolated and alone.

Now they were hurddling through hyperspace, after Jim had given her a brief update on the planet and its people she decided to take a nap. She had not been sleeping well the last few nights. Her past life had been plaguing her dreams, forcing her to remember.

She didn't know how long she had been sleeping when something nudged her awake. Her eyes flew open and she felt the ship exit hyperspace and begin its descent. She shook herself awake and got up, making her way to the bridge. The planet in front of them was breath taking. She gave Jim a smile and took a seat.

[Koru Tav]

(OOC: Shan, I hope that your ship has room for one more, 'cause Jaylen was heading out with us)

Koru had headed off to Kuat on leave along with Colonel Shan and his recent friend Jaylen Myst a few days prior. The Colonel was friendly enough to let them stay on her ship The Void Echo. The stay on her ship wasn't too bad to Koru's suprise as he reflect on everything that had happened in the past two or three days. Both Koru and her weren't shy but quiet at first. It was partly because he didn't know her in person. It took him until last night to start talking on more than just small talk. Jaylen...Koru wasn't even going to go there. He finished putting on his military dress. He looked into the mirror while tugging at his collar as it seemed too tight. He did not enjoy wearing these kinds of clothes. It was always a pain that you had to keep everything immaculatly clean. Oh well, at least it's not a ball...

Shan and his reason for coming to Kuat early was to make sure everything was secure and to be certain that nothing out of the ordinary (for this particular group of people) would happen during the event tonight. This was one of the reason's he had asked to take along Jaylen. His abilities and previous training would come in handy. He asked Jaylen first as he didn't want to force him into doing anything that he didn't want to do. Jaylen had leapt at the chance and Koru wasn't entirely certain though he could make a few guesses.

He pocketed his knife and stepped out into the ships hallways to head to ramp when he heard Shan's familiar voice. "Captain Tav, duty calls."

He reached the ramp and saw that Jaylen was waiting for him, dressed, and ready to head out. He looked him up and down. Jay had many similarities to the Colonel. The stripes, the eyes, among other things. Those features didn't bother him. Kaidlen included. He just saw them as people the same as himself. Maybe that was one of the reasons he and Jay got along. He gave a grin to Jaylen, "Looking good, Jay."

They headed down the ramp toward Shan. He stood by her and watched as an incoming ship drew closer. He took a glance at the Colonel "And you know that's the right ship, how?"

Edited by Koru Tav, 26 January 2009 - 12:52 PM.

[Jaylen Myst]

Jaylen had leapt at the chance to get out of the palace and out of the same room that he had been in. Now here he was, standing on the top of the ramp waiting for Koru to show. He looked down the ramp and saw again that Kaidlen was looking out of the bay waiting for the VIP to arrive. One of the reasons that he had wanted to do this to be a help. Koru felt that him being a telepath would be helpful. The second reason was to see if he could get to know Kaidlen better. She seemed that she was the same species and that's was why he was excited. He was excited until he had accidently felt her mind. It felt the same as most people but there was a similarity to Kennedy's mind. Jay clenched his teeth at the name and then slowly inhaled then exhaled. He had promised Koru that he would have self control here at Kuat. Her mind was similar to Kennedy's in the way of the kind of power he was able to use but in a good way. It was just the part that it reminded him of...him...that he had avoided her as much as he could ove the past few days. He sighed and played with his staff absentmindedly as was trying to build up the courage to go down the ramp and talk to her.

He unconsciencly back into the shadows as Kaidlen looked up the ramp and called for Koru. I'm gonna have to get over phobia...it's driving me me insane. When she looked away, he took his former place. "Looking good, Jay" Ah yes...the formal dress requirements... The clothes really didn't bother him too much.

He looked and saw that familiar smirk and they headed down the ramp. Jaylen kept close to Koru during their descent and continued to keep close as they waited for the incoming ship to land.

[James Stratus]

The Dawn Treader arrived at a private docking port of the Kuat Drive Yard's main facility. He and Miss Lance would wait in a private briefing room with his brother Marc and Executor Treyson until Admiral OVERMIND's arrival. Admirals Firecam and Kelly would meet the Admiral at a different docking bay and lead him to a special sealed viewport where the others, including those on HMPS, the Royal Guard, and other invitees would be waiting, with a private conference room connected to it. It would be a pleasant surprise, though not quite as pleasant as the big surprise itself. He looked at Dana. Having spent the last five years with her he knew her pretty well. He smiled at her as they made their approach. No doubt Captain Tav would be waiting for him, though he had told Kaidlen to specifically wait with the others as a sort of guard on duty. He took Dana's hand, and gave her a quick kiss, and led her off the ship, continuing to hold her hand the entire time, as they walked down the ramp, and were led into the private conference room.

[Dene Vye Cognatus]

The General and his princess Auri, were already at KDY awaiting the arrival of the Throne and its guests. The General was proud of the Imperial Soldiers stationed here, safe guarding one of the most important IR stations amongst its kind.

"Princess, is this not an amazing site? One of the most protected areas of our great Government, next to Coruscant of course." He smiled, ships were taking off and landing left and right. Armor clad troopers marched up and down the halls and several sentries guarded entrances.

He lead Auri to where the High Prince instructed them to meet him at.

[Aurielle Stratus]

"Yes, this is." Aurielle said simply. She was dressed much simpler than she had been at the ball. Auri had a few new items added to her wardrobe for the trip she would be taking with General Cognatus, mostly plain uniforms that could be used for training. She favored the new material, a breathable yet durable knit that felt soft yet had a stiff appearance. It was very flexible.

She had chosen a light blue tunic to match her eyes. This one was a little dressier with the others. It had a deep square neckline, and the back went to her midsection. The long sleeves were pushed back to extend till just below her elbows. The tunic, like her others, was fingertip length with a trim of sewn on shell beads that were small and pale white. Her leggings underneath were also white, and she donned tan tall boots. She had a white cloak on, that looked light enough to be just for appearances. Clothes were a fun new outlet for her, and she had simple yet classy taste. She also tended to choose trends that had practicality to them.

She followed the General to the common meeting place, waiting to catch a glimpse of her adoptive father, even if the thought stung her a little bit. She blocked her thoughts and began concentrating on her steps.

[Kaidlen Shan]

(OOC: Yes, there is room for several. Kaidlen's ship is a luxury yatch.)

"How do I know? Because I can sense the Prince on that ship. Plus I also happen to know the ship as well." The Colonel answered. She looked towards where she could sense Jaylen standing. He intrigued her a lot. The resemblance between Jaylen and herself was remarkable. It was obvious that they were of the same species.
"Time to take up our posts. Be alert. We don't want anything to happen here." Kaidlen stated, as she waited for the men to clear the ramp. She needed to secure her ship.

[Aurielle Stratus]

Aurielle felt a sudden familiar presense. *Hello, sister.* She was glad so many of her family were gathering again.

[Khyron Overmind]

The Admiral was indeed curious about the orders he had received from the High Prince. They stated that he had to report to Kuat Drive Yards on a specific date and time. Onboard the shuttle Storm, the Admiral was making the same trip he had done thousands of times. When they dropped out of hyperspace, the viewport showed him dozens of capital ships surrounding the planet Kuat. They were part of the regular Fleet stationed there. The view was awesome and it made him remind of the first time he had arrived to Kuat to start his training in the Imperial Naval Academy.

It was a very long time ago, but it was a memory that would always go with him.... Hundreds of young men, coming down of transports and shuttles and forming into lines, ready to be lectured for the first time. Of those, many would stay behind, since not everybody was Navy material in the end. After the most rigourous training program, only a very reduced group would make it to graduation.

But back to the present time, the shuttle finally landed into its designated landing pad. The repulsorlifts took her gently down and the pilot lowered the ramp. The Admiral walked down the ramp, straightening his uniform as he walked. He was welcomed by Admirals Firecam and Kelly, who saluted and waited for him. The Admiral returned their salutes and allowed them to take him to a special observation room. They told him that the rest of the participants would arrive momentarily.

[James Stratus]

(Sorry guys, couldn't wait for everyone else to post)

As Fleet Admiral Firecam and Vice Admiral Kelly guided the Grand Admiral to the special observation deck, the Minister of Defense noted the extraordinary security checkpoints and measures they had to go through to get to their destination, which was quite different from the normal routine. As Fleet Admiral Firecam unlocked the door, the Admirals stepped in to a room where many familiar faces were waiting, including General Dene Vye Cognatus, Princess Aurielle Stratus, Executor Tavria Treyson, Prince Marc Stratus, Selina Vadcasta, Diandra Devin, General Raithos Bodost, and a few other notable individuals. Didn't I just leave this party a week ago? the Grand Admiral must have been thinking. Though there was one missing. Everyone seemed to sense the approach of the High Prince as all the Royal Guards and IRSB agents straigtened up and snapped to attention. A side portal opened and the Supreme Ruler of the Imperial Republic, accompanied by Dana Lance, walked in together followed by Captain Koru Tav and Colonel Kaidlen Shan.

"You are all late," the High Prince chided. He returned the salutes and nodded to those who offered a bow. "Glad you made it, everyone. Some of you are wondering what we are all doing here in the middle of the night at the Kuat Drive Yards. My guess is that really, only one of you is wondering that. You see, everyone else knows the answer, Admiral OVERMIND." He grinned with a wide smile. "Admiral Kelly, get the lights, Admiral Firecam, go ahead and unlock the portal viewport so we can see the latest KDY and our fine Navy has come up with." The lights went off and the viewport protection panels slide aside revealing a very large and dark chamber, though no one could see anything. "Light it up, Captain." Though the room was virtually soundproof, engines of a very large battleship could be heard from below. They looked down as lights started coming on and finally the chamber's lights below came on revealing a ship slightly larger than their own Defender-class Battleships. It was unique in design though not too far from the original battleship designs.

"My design team and I originally had a Super-class battleship in mind, but decided against it with the desire for speed, and we have, in fact, put a huge amount of work into boosting the speed of this ship below, and you will find your new flagship runs faster than a typical Defender-class Battleship. In fact, it is not a Defender-class at all, though it is not too far from it. Though it has quite different specs," his voice suddenly became very authoritative and that of an announcer, "I present to you, on behalf of the Imperial Republic, the members of the Royal Family, Naval Headquarters, and the Kuat Drive Yards, the very first Overmind-class Battleship. We dubbed it the Avenger II, though it has yet to be christened, and I wanted you to have the honors of doing such."

(OOC: Specs are on the google docs IR Ships special types tab).

[Dene Vye Cognatus]

Dene was impressed, the first of its kind. He applauded for the Admiral, whistling sharply under his breath.

"Impressive, to say the least." He said with a large smile, congratulating the Admiral. He watched the expressions of the others and awaiting the rest of groups reactions.

[Aurielle Stratus]

Auri applauded with the others, smiling shyly. She had not really met Admiral OVERMIND, but she was happy for him. She smiled at Ryden, who was close behind her and now used to being largely ignored. He nodded back.

[Diandra Devin]

Diandra listens quietly, and claps when the ship is unveiled.

[Selina Vadcasta]

Listening intently, she was mindful of the reactions of those around her as the presentation went on. It was an impressive ship indeed. Everyone around her seemed pleased with it too. Selina smiled and applauded with everyone else when the presentation was complete. Her eyes fell upon Ryden and a smirk crossed her lips. Deciding to be rather cheeky, she reached out to him through the Force ~Hey good looking. Did you miss me?~

[Locke Firecam]

The Admiral, after preforming his ceremonial duties, took a step back to admire the fine ship. She was an excellent tool of war, and a fitting tribute to Admiral Overmind's legacy. Turning to the Minister of Defence, he saluted with great pride. "She's an excellent ship sir, inside and out." He had overseen much of the construction and knew that it would be up to the task of defending the Republic in the difficult times ahead

[Khyron Overmind]

(OOC: Sorry Jim, this is going to be shorter than I would like since it is already late here)

The Admiral was indeed surprised to see so many familiar faces in the room... It was indeed like a small replay of the Balle Royale, a week earlier, but without most of the dates. When the High Prince started to explain and pointed out that he was the only one not currently aware of what this meeting was about, that definitely raised an eyebrow of the Admiral. He was not sure how many people could know such a secret but him. Also, they were talking about Kuat Drive Yards, so it was probably a kind of ship they were talking about, which made it even less likely that he was not informed about it.

When the High Prince finally ordered the surprised to be revealed, the Admiral was speechless for a couple of seconds.... He was stunned by the beauty of the ship. He took a couple of steps forward and got closer to the viewport. He looked up and down, left and right, trying to catch every single detail.

Then he turned to the High Prince and simply said:

"Thank you My Lord, but I am not sure I deserve such an honor."

[Tavria Treyson]

Tavria looked at Marc and then Locke and nodded at both of them, they had both put a lot of work into the new ship's design and production. Not to mention all the hardwork of the rest of KDY, that had gone into it. But the production of the new Overmind-Class, showed the continuing expansion and growth of KDY.

[Dana Lance]

Dana marveled at the new ship. It was beautiful and majestic. She caught Jim's eye and smiled as she clapped along with the others. A slight nod in her head let Jim know she was impressed.

[Koru Tav]

Koru hadn't seen much of space battles or warships in his life, but just from the look of the Avenger II he was impressed.

Nice Koru said as he shook his head in approval.

[Aurielle Stratus]

Ryden sensed Selina. Her nice little joke put a smile on his face. He suspected he may see her again, but this was very soon. He took a deep breath, and tried to experiment. He clearly got the difference between Auri and Selina invading his mind. Auri only used the ability in case of emergency, and had a different tone on the message. Usually rushed, icy. But Selina was much more playful. Ryden had been toying with an idea. He figured she would be reading his immediate reaction, and possibly his immediate thoughts unconsciously. So he decided to see if she would hear him, if he focused on one sentence. As if he was speaking silently. What's a pretty thing like you doing at a shipyard like this, at this hour?

[Selina Vadcasta]

Selina smiled as she felt that he did. He seemed surprised to hear her in his mind again. She tilted her head slightly as he seemed to be concentrating on something. Easily she read his thoughts and heard his thought which repeatedly softly in his mind. ~Admiring the sexiness, and yeah, the ship.~ In his mind, she giggled. It occurred to her suddenly that he'd never seen her in uniform before. That might have been the reason he hadn't noticed her right away. That or he simply had his thoughts elsewhere.

[Aurielle Stratus]

Ryden chuckled. He decided to take a side glance at her, and noticed her in uniform. Quite the contrast to the ball gown, but amazingly, equally stunning. He took a few steps forward and touched Aurielle on her elbow. She turned back to look at him.

Yes, Mr. Stone? she asked. He took a second to read her face. She actually looked happy.

I see someone I would like to speak with. I am trusting you to General Cognatus. Please don't leave the room. Aurielle nodded and smiled, turning her attention back to everyone and the events. Ryden moved over to stand by Selina, taking her hand and kissing it. I did not see a mirror for you to admire the sexiness in, Selina ... he thought, repeating it, still not sure how easy it was for her to hear him.

[Selina Vadcasta]

Selina felt his eyes on her and couldn't help but smirk. She watched curiously as he excused himself from his charge and made his way over to her. Ryden took her hand and kissed it, which made her smile. Looking to his eyes, she did indeed hear his thoughts almost immediately. She smirked to herself ~Perhaps not, but that beautifully crafted ship outside is sexy too.~ Selina stifled a giggle, not wanting to interrupt the goings on around them. She was teasing of course, actually trying to make him blush with the attention she was growing accustomed to giving him.

[James Stratus]

"Congratulations, Admiral. You may christen her whenver you are ready, but first....would you care to take a look inside the ship? I am pleased to announce that I have, within the last 48 hours, arranged emergency transfers for all the surviving officers and crew of the Avenger and have transfered them as well as your command staff to this new ship, though it is not yet officially in the service of the Imperial Republic Navy until its christening ceremony. That I will leave to you, though if you like you may do it here with all of us present, or perhaps a later time, though I highly recommend we take you aboard now for a look around?" He looked around the room and everyone nodded and was anxious to be aboard the newest ship the IR had produced. It was a special occasion. The High Prince looked to Aurielle and winked and smiled.

[Aurielle Stratus]

Auri caught the wink from Stratus and returned it. She moved up to stand next to him, figuring the signal meant that it was okay now. She smiled again, this time from nerves. Evening, Sir. Aurielle sounded cheerful.

*****

Ryden was happy that Selina was smiling easy around her now. He wished he had met her long ago. Leaving would be difficult. He chuckled inwardly at her remark about the sexy ship. It was true, the ship was sexy. But so was just about everyone in the room. The government had a way of attracting beautiful people. *Maybe you could help me christen my ship one day, when we are off-duty?* he teased dramatically. Repeating the phrase over and over, adding mental images of different kind of baptisms and ... other forms of the word.

[Khyron Overmind]

"Sire, I am really honored. Thank you My Lord."

The Admiral took another look at the magnificent ship and then turned his face back to the High Prince.

"I have the perfect name for her. Since she came from the ashes of the previous Avenger, we will call her Avenging Phoenix. And I cannot wait to take a look inside, if you are wondering that My Lord."

The Admiral was known for being a very calm officer, but those who knew him well could see in his lack of words that he was really emotioned by the honor that was being granted to him.

[Selina Vadcasta]

Ryden seemed much more at ease on this occasion than he had been at the last one. It was almost as though they'd known each other much longer than they had in actuality. His thoughts were not only of the ship, but the other people in the room. He projected a thought to her, wanting her to help him christen his ship when they were off duty. Selina smirked. Also he had images running through his mind, which she didn't find to be a particularly careful move on his part. ~Careful now. I'm not the only one here that can read your thoughts. You want them to see the naughty things you're thinking of doing?~ She didn't care really if anyone knew. To her, it was obvious that he was attracted to her. Anyone that didn't see that was blind. ~As for christening your ship, that could possibly be arranged yes. We'll see how things go hmm?~

[Kaidlen Shan]

Kaidlen smiled as she watched the look of suprise that crossed OVERMIND's face at the presentation of the newest ship. She felt it was fitting that he be honored in such a manner.

[Aurielle Stratus]

Ryden smirked. He eyed her from the side, keeping a straight face. *After your little move last week at the Royal Balle, you are worried of people knowing? At least I keep it in my head ...* he teased.