The Rebel Faction

The world of Aquilaris glistned quietly in the morning sunlight as a figure sat quietly on a veranda at a table with only four places to sit. It had been a long time since they had met like this, but it was often necessary nowadays. The Genoharadan had become a ghost of itself, ruined thousands of years back by some unknown Jedi. Since then, the group had faded into the shadows and quietly evolved more into a group determined to manipulate politics than to simply preserve the Republic as Xim the Despot had intended for them. The latest group of leaders broke the number one rule of the old Genoharadan, they all knew one another.

Augustus Mond had been an assassin for many years in the often ignored Outer Rim territories that were often ignored by the other governments, including the isolationist Black Dragon Empire that swallowed a piece of the Outer Rim. BDE had become a concern for the Genoharadan, but its reach into that place was impossible currently. They were too weak and other large governments were more concerning. The Azguard dominated Coaltion and the conquest bloated Empire both drew the gaze of the weakened Genoharadan. Augustus though had stayed often in the free systems, getting assignments to kill or manipulated specific local politicians and rulers. He had become very good at his job and so he was surprised one day when his employer contacted him and informed him of just what Augustus had been serving for so long. This information, however was only given on his employer death bed as the man had become very old and withered, surrendering his position as a Genoharadan leader to Augustus.

With the title came a huge new flow of information and resourses, including the secret history of the mysterious group. The first big problem Augustus had seen was the fact the leadership was so mysterious, even to itself, leaving openings for opportunistic fools to kill the others and ruin the ideals of the organization. So Augustus set about hunting down the location of each leader and bringing them together to form the new Genoharadan, turning the four person leadership into an interconnected and organized oligarchy. So now the Genoharadan met, the group technically made up of only four members, each with their own organization and techniques of manipulation. And now the time had come for the quiet little group to begin mobilizing to form a front against all these other insane governments.

"Sir, the other's have arrived, would you wish for me to show them in?" asked Shado, Augustus' modified black 3P0 class protocol droid.

"Yes," Augustus replied, calmly reaching for his cup of stim tea on the table and taking a drink from it as the droid walked off to show in the other members of the Genoharadan.

Augustus Mond nodded and calmly stood up, revealing his finely tailored black suit. He examined the anomid rather quietly, already remembering what he looked like from information gathered by his own spies. His gaze moved to the apparent bodyguard but then shifted away as Shado stood calmly in the background, watching the bodyguard much more closely than Augustus did. Shado looked like a normal protocol droid but he was equipped with enough weaponry to take out just about anything. For this reason, Shado was always with Augustus, acting as his bodyguard, translator, and sometimes assassin. Augustus shifted his gaze back to the anomid and smiled.

"That is correct, Mister Yardo, I am the one who called this meeting."

A low tone sounded and Shado disappeared for several moments before leading in two more beings. One of them was a muscular, four armed Codru, dressed in a modified sleeveless shirt. His name was Tokka and was head of the Tokka Cartel, a known transport and smuggling group that operated in the free Outer Rim territories, providing the mean for some worlds to stay connected with the rest of the known galaxy. The other being was a Bothan female named Minra Fey'Kre, her eyes were a rich cold color and her fur a deep cream color. Her choice of attire was a deep red vest over a blue shirt and blue pants along with black boots. Her gaze was calm, but cold as she ran a small crime syndicate known as Venom. Both of them looked weary, also obviously worried this was some kind of trap.

"Please, all of you sit down, I assure you, there are no men hiding in the shadows waiting to kill you, no poisons, no weapons. All there is here is what each of you have brought with you. However, Mister Yardo, if your bodyguard could wait outside, this only involves the Genoharadan itself."

Augustus gave a small wave to Shado and the protocol droid turned and walked away to hide himself at a doorway in case one of the other members decided to be opporunistic. He then took his own seat and took a sip from his stim tea. Tokka moved and sat down first, crossing his thick powerful arms across his torso, waiting with Augustus for the others to join them.

Augutus nodded slightly and reached across the table, pressing a button that trigger panels in the middle of the table to slide away, revealing a holoprojector. The projector flickered to life and the image of the galaxy appeared with colored regions representing the current major governmental powers in the galaxy. Augutus looke around the table, examining each members of the Genoharadan for the first time in person. Augustus had more than succeeded in getting information on all of them beforehand, even images and other items, primarily personal, which could be used to eliminate them if they chose not to go along with his plan and rebuild the power of the Genoharadan.

"My fellow members, as you all know the most physically influential force in the galaxy is government. Why else would there be a Galatic Empire or that farce of a democracy called the Coalition? There is one point of space that all of these governments, including the Black Dragon Empire have more or less left to survive on their own."

Augustus pressed another button and the galaxy map zoomed in on the Outer Rim regions, a huge empty swath of unoccupied territory minus the area occupied by the fanatical Black Dragon Empire.

"The Outer Rim, no one gives a damn about it, no one wants it, they're all too busy spilling eachother's blood over current territorial gains. As such, we now have the opportunity to bring forth a new government in this region, starting with Aquilaris here. The Prime Minister of Aquilaris is a very influential and charismatic man, one we could use to begin uniting the Outer Rim under its own government. My proposal is to use what little assets we have currently to influence a unifcation movement across the Outer Rim, create a desire for the people to defend themselves against the conquest bloated Empire or the self-rightious Coalition or even the insanely fanatical Black Dragon Empire. We can create a confederation of worlds, a area of space truly governed, at least in the eyes of the people, by a democracy."

Augustus presses another button, highlighting specific territories, ones that only the eyes of the Genoharadan now could see as he laid out his plane for unification.

"Obviously, we must remain behind the scenes to keep the government in check and running as the Genoharadan sees fit, but if we can gain enough worlds, we could turn this Confederacy into a Republic. Our purpose will then have returned and Xim the Despot will not have created our group without reason. This will take a great tast and some time, but I believe that we can do this, that a new government can be born free of the others, except perhaps in trade," Augustus said with a small nod towards Yardo and Tokka.

"And what if we fail?" Minra Fey'Kre demanded calmly as she looked across the table at Augustus.

"Who cares if we fail, I think this is worth the risk," Tokka replied before Augusts could say anything.

"I wasn't asking you, you four armed brute, I'm asking the human."

"What did you call me?!" Tokka snarled, standing up, his hulking mass looking much more intimidating now that he was angry.

"You heard me, you overgrown wolfman," Minra replied coldly.

"Enough!"

Both stopped and looked over at Augustus who was now standing there, looking very angry. He looked over at Tokka who seemed to suddenly go from angry brute to tamed animal as he made an apologetic motion only a Codru-Ji could do with their four arms and sat down. Minra also looked at Augustus as Yardo sat aside quietly observing this.

"This is NOT what the Genoharadan exists for! If we start infighting, we will be no better than damn assassins and conspirators! We have the chance here to return to power and bring something to the galaxy and you two are already tearing at eachother?" Augustus slammed his fist on the table.

"The only one here even seeming to care to show civilitiy is Yardo, why not take a page out of our anomid member's book and control yourselves!"

Minra and Augustus held one another's gaze for several moments, almost seemingly a battle of wills before she looked away at them map. Augustus then sighed and sat back down at the table.

"As an answer to your question, Minra, it is a risk we must take. The Genoharadan has sat on the backburner for too long, watching the other governments run around unchecked. We must do this, if anything to protect our interests as well as the people of the Outer Rim. So, I ask you, are you with me? Are you going to held resurrect the real power of the Genoharadan?"

Augustus looked around the table again at the other three members, waiting for an answer.

There was a loud sound and the door burst open, Yardo's bodyguard being thrown to the floor and a headless Shado as well. Both lay there as strange and quiet soldiers walked around the group, standing at attention as another figure entered the room. It was a obviously a man, dressed in black with steel colored armor plates on his body. His face complely hidden by a facemask that only showed a single eye on the orange side of the mask. The
Genoharadan all looked at Augustus who raised his hands.

"They aren't mine."

"That is correct, Mister Mond, they are mine," replied the masked man as he walked up to the table.

The Genoharadan now eyed this odd man as he stood there, his soldiers all looking rather odd just standing still, as if waiting for a command. Minra's hand was slowly slipping towards what must be a concealed weapon, but Augustus quickly shook his head, telling her not to. Minra merely sighed and stopped reaching, knowing with these odds it probably was pointless.

"It is pleasing to see that such an old instituation as the Genoharadan can still exist," the masked man said.

The Genoharadan stared at the masked man as if stung, no one was supposed to know about the Genoharadan, or at least no one that the group didn't have influence over. It's unbelieveable that they were found out by this masked man and his odd soldiers.

"Who are you?" Augustus demanded calmly as he looked across at the masked man.

"Your salvation, Mister Mond. My name is Omega Thrax. I am hear to give the Genoharadan what it needs, more resources. I represent an interest group that has a great deal of influence in certain areas that could, perhaps, ensure the success of your little plan here."

"How do you know about that or the Genoharadan?" Tokka demanded, his large muscles bunching, looking ready to attack if something went wrong here.

Omega Thrax reached beneath the table and pulled out what looked like a small listening device. As he did so, another vicious looking man walked in from the doorway, toying it a knife.

"Deraggo is very good at his job, which includes planting listening devices if necessary. Thanks to this and the meeting, you have confirmed the suspicions of my group that you are, in fact, the Genoharadan."

"Just who is your group anyways?" Minra asked, looking over at Omega Thrax.

"We are simply known as the Union," Thrax replied, causing a small spark of recognition inf Minra's eyes

"You've heard of us?" Omega Thrax asked calmly.

"Not exactly, just a bunch of rumors. But the name always comes up in some way, about a union of criminals or something like that."

"Its seems your Bothan Spynet connections have served you well, Ms. Minra. However those rumors were purposefully leaked. We require some mystique to operate under and what better way than the rumor mill that is underworld talk?"

"So what do you want with us, precisely? To become your pawns?" Augustus demanded coldly as he looked at Omega Thrax.

"Not necessarily pawns, the Union requires strong leaders over its many... parts and we wish to incorporate the Genoharadan into the Union. You will be free to act as you will as long as you remember we hold sway over you. In return, we will finance and supply you to our best abilities, including finding ways to provide military hardware for your new government. Sadly to say though, you have but two choices currently. Accept the offer, or die."

Omega Thrax's only visible eye sweeped over the gathered group. Augustus eyed the merciless gaze of the masked man before looking around the table at the other members of the Genoharadan. They had all come here with a hope for something, and perhaps it was still there but now they had a choice to make. Live and try to do as they wish, occaisonally having to answer to this new master of theirs, or die and let the ideals of the Genoharadan die with them, ruining a legacy of Xim the Despot. Augustus couldn't let that happen, not after all he had done already, he couldn't just die now even if that meant becoming a quasi-servant to these Union types. The thing that caught his attention was their willingness to finance and support the Genoharadan. And so, Augustus stood from his chair, hearing the strange soldiers around him shift slightly at the movement.

"I don't know about the others here, but my portion of the Genoharadan accepts the offer."

Augustus then looked at the other three, waiting for a response. Tokka was brooding but obviously considering acceptance as well, but Minra was hard to read though it was unlikely she would commit suicide over this. Yardo was another question, what with his preference from pacificism, could he take answering to something so deep and dark as the Union?

The other Genoharadan member watched quietly as Yardo spoke and then turned their gazes back to the masked man who had put them in this now very unfortunate position. Omega Thrax seemed to consider his answer to Yardo's inquiry and then began walking around the table.

"The choice to use unnecessary force is up to you, the Union doesn't care to dictate such things to its puppets. You will be free to act as you will, all we ask is that you do certain things for us at times. If you wish to convert worlds by peaceful means, then do so. The Union has no issue with what methods are used, just as long as you are successful."

Omega Thrax remained silent, letting this sink in as the other two regarded him. It was apparent they were the other half of the Genoharadan and their choice was just as simple as it was for Yardo and Augustus. They could pledge their portion to the Union as well or be gunned down and most likely replaced by a subordinate. Tokka seemed to reach a decision first, he gave a defeated sigh and just glared coldly at Omega Thrax.

"I'll pledge my portion to your little group as well, just don't cross me."

This only left Minra Fey'Kre how sat there, her golden eyes showing not a trace of what she was thinking but Augustus could take a good guess. Minra crime syndicate was small but very successful because of her administartion and clever planning. She knew when she was beaten and when to concede, such an ability had gained her many jobs and payoffs from the Hutts who were close business associates of hers. She then gave a small nod.

"I'll pledge my portion as well so there is no need to ruin the Genoharadan's leadership with bloodshed."

"Excellent, a most wise decision on all of your parts. With that said," Thrax snapped his fingers and the strange soldiers turned and left,"I welcome you to the Union and send the congradulations of our Chairman for being so wise to do so. I will contact you again soon, for now however, please continue with your own agenda. We will do what we can to help you."

Omega Thrax turned and left with Deraggo in tow, leaving the Genoharadan alone again with the two dead bodyguards on the floor. Augustus looked across the table again at the other members and sighed.

"Well, this situation cannot be helped but we must do what we plan to do, Union or not. Pime Minister Mykal Goru and his ruling Manaka Party are already in my pocket here on Aquilaris thanks to rather large debts he and key members of it owe me. I've already informed them I'll consider their debts suspended if they will lead our little movement and be its public face, which places the government of Aquilaris under our influence already. That leaves only our next choices. My belief is that there are a number of worlds that were fought over during the Clone Wars that would be prime for incorporation into the new confederation. Either way, it must be all done diplomatically besides our behind the scenes manipulations. None of the governments will question the Confederacy's credability if we get the leaders of other worlds to sign the charter and join it apparnently willingly."

Augustus looked around the table again.

"So, are all over you prepared to take the next step from here on Aquilaris?"