Last Stand

The Neo-Crusaders are defeated, the planet is saved and the medals have been given out. Now you can get down to the important business of the celebrations! The Concord Dawn and Kandra's Run are packed as almost every single Hoper, all the local residents and guests from far and wide descend for an evening (and then early morning, mid morning and late morning) or festivities.

Food and drink flow freely, music echoes from half a dozen stages and citizens embrace one another. All around you are smiles and tears. Families reunited, friends who came home safe. Survivors who can't believe it and optimists loudly happy to be proved right.

A few points of note:

General Novar sits at the center of a ring of soldiers (many from the 277th) challenging and winning arm wrestling contest after contest, somehow smoking a cigar in his other hand the whole time.

Master Mobok has somehow (and this might be more unlikely than liberating the planet) been persuaded to sing. The Jedi Master turns out to have an excellent voice which easily cuts through the crowd. Any Jedi passing nearby are liable to be roped into assisting her performance.

Nimi Roth has found a quieter corner against the cantina and appears to be fleecing anyone who stops by at Sabacc. Although she's generous enough to buy the losers a drink afterwards.

1st Ranger Uffob can dance...maybe a little too well given his size. Damn near supernatural agility. He and most of the rangers are at a dance floor absolutely shredding it, although even here the veteran sentients keep their weapons near.

Mayor Camali Evevos has nodded off in a chair near the food while Ciph and his whole clan sit protectively around her, sharing meals and laughing about the past months.

Bevin Connors holds a drink looking awkward as veterans from the capital siege seem to keep finding him and offering him a hug or a sincere word of thanks. He only seems to relax for a moment when the Aqualish sergeant by his side makes a joke.

It was a rare privilege to be surrounded by and embraced by a sea of positivity. The light side flowed strongly all around.

Zephrin had no plan for the evening. He simply took his time moving around the crowd, talking to beings. Some he knew well, some he had never met. The Jedi had time for all of them.

Soon he would be returning to the Temple on Coruscant, but for now he was just another happy Hoper. It was a good night for celebration and honouring life.

It seemed like there was a party waiting for them afterwards! Vala would have thought this to be unbelievable if it wasn't for the medal and the certificate of Obroan citizenship she had received earlier! There was also that strange singing that followed afterwards. She might have considered asking someone to pinch her to wake up from this dream if she wasn't content with this lasting a little longer, in case this was actually her still sleeping off a hangover on Corellia.

Tomin definitely joins the party. A little stiff in spots, and with her throat still healing, she moves a not-entirely random route that lets her pick up food and drift by familiar places to see how they'd fared, following her ears to tally up the bands that she could now add to the 'still here' tally in her head, and settling in to dance or chat at most of those gatherings before moving to the next.

She hadn't realized how many people she did know, until trying to catch up with any she came across here!

Hatoful GM wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 21, 2023 2:33 pm

Waiting off to the side, Melchett and Dar-Ling stand a little straighter as Zephrin receives his honor from the Jedi Masters, both of them beaming; it's a little harder to tell that Melchett is beaming, what with the mustache and all. It seems that they, too, are waiting to receive their own commendations, and while Dar-Ling has his arm in a sling, their spirits are high indeed.

Zephrin had given the pair an encouraging smile and gesture when he spotted them at the ceremony. Now that the award-giving was over he made sure to pick them out of the crowd. Both received warm hugs.

"Can I buy you two heroes a drink?" The Jedi grinned. It was an open bar actually. He gestured vaguely towards where their medals were. "Well deserved indeed. Torvin, these are the friends I was telling you about."

GM Nicha wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 20, 2023 8:14 am

Mayor Camali Evevos has nodded off in a chair near the food while Ciph and his whole clan sit protectively around her, sharing meals and laughing about the past months.

Oh, what the heck. Vala thought to herself as she worked up the courage to approach the Mayor after her word at the medal ceremony. She supposed she could go home and not give a second thought to this place, write it off like a bad dream. However, she did meet people here and through them, shared quite an experience together. There was a bond at the very least, even if she started off here as just a mere 'tourist'.

She gave a table a casual wave to get their attention. "Hey, there. 'Figured I should show my face before I ride off in the sunset, or sail off to the event horizon, or something. Thanks for everything."

Vala Roke wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 22, 2023 12:11 am

Snip

Ciph gestures and one of his boys brings out a comfy looking wooden chair. "No Ms Roke, thank you. Everyone around here appreciates that you came a long way to fight the good fight. And we appreciate you stopping by."

He leans over and gently taps Camali's shoulder as she blinks awake and looks around for a moment before smiling.
"Oh, I'm sorry everyone. I think I just drifted away." Her gaze finds Vala. "Oh and Vala, you did come by. Won't you take a seat? Have you had enough to eat and drink?"

GM Nicha wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:08 am

Ciph gestures and one of his boys brings out a comfy looking wooden chair. "No Ms Roke, thank you. Everyone around here appreciates that you came a long way to fight the good fight. And we appreciate you stopping by."

He leans over and gently taps Camali's shoulder as she blinks awake and looks around for a moment before smiling.
"Oh, I'm sorry everyone. I think I just drifted away." Her gaze finds Vala. "Oh and Vala, you did come by. Won't you take a seat? Have you had enough to eat and drink?"

Vala put her hands in her pockets and gave a casual shrug at the thanks, trying to rub it off as no big deal initially. Well, if she had to be honest, it was a pretty huge deal. It wasn't every day you were awarded for your actions and even given citizenship to a planet that you were only planning to pass by. "Well, I'd like to think that the thanks are found on both sides here. You could have very well tossed us out for making such a big mess in your backyard and making a bigger mess later. Glad you gave us a place to pitch in and call home for a while."

She sat down at the appointed seat and smirked at Camali. "I had a bit earlier but honestly, I kind of saved room in my stomach just to join you for a meal. I wanted to share some drinks with you all before the night was done!"

For his part Fec stayed near the general and the other members of the 277th. For many here this would be a ending of sort, the planet had been liberated and many could rest easy. Fec for one knew that the war was far from over though, and likely as not the 277th would be moving out again soon.

That didn't stop him for celebrating of course, and there was a flask of whiskey in his hand that he was taking the occasional sip from has he joked about with the others from his unit.

Vala Roke wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:42 am

Snip

The surrounding partygoers whoop and in a few seconds Vala has a plate of steaming spiced food thrust onto her lap and a hearty mug of a cool ale in her hand. Camali just shrugs and smiles at the hospitality even as Ciph makes sure she has some warm tea in hand.

"Then let's celebrate one last night as Hopers. We'll lend you a couple more stories to tell back on Corellia. I think Ciph had mentioned something about a geist?"

The older man leans forward, nodding. "Yeah, so I reckon when you get back you tell them the geist was two stories tall and black as night, then maybe add..."

And so the party continued into the night and early morning with Vala the target of enthusiastic Kandra's Run hospitality.

After being talked into attending, although she would insist if asked it was under duress, Sirina eventually turns up to the festivities late as usual. At first, she merely shoots the breeze with Nimi-- all too familiar with the Mirialan's skill as a card sharp to bother losing credits in a game.

Eventually, however, she finds a table of her own to sit at-- doing her best to find the fine line between keeping her head down and making appearances. She is, however, more than keen on having her drinks flowing; the better to try and get her head around her newfound duties with the clan.

Sirina Kichi wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 23, 2023 5:40 am

Snip

The alcohol flows liberally and all sorts come by the table over the course of the evening. The occasional old friend to wish her congratulations, the odd Hoper she'd met over the course of the campaign to wish her well, Alpine Clan members with lucrative offers and the odd threat, some of the local riff-raff looking for jobs and even a baby Nuftus Owl which perches up nearby and seems content just to keep an eye on things, unusually social from that species.

It's clear her future is going to be a bit busier and with a few more responsibilities. But it did mean Sirina's name would be out there as a big shot in Kandra's Run, maybe that wasn't that bad a trade after all?