The Cornerian Complex

[ballisticwaffles]

( Just go slow so it isnt an info dump of terrable proportions.)

"Thats awefull!" Gracia said, ordering a simple saled.

"How many people died during the war?"

[Star_Dragon]

(Uhm... okay. Very well, I shall indulge you.)

"If by 'during the war,' you refer to the first war, than the casualties on both sides were light compared to the two wars that followed," Kyle explained. "See, while the Kemorainians were advanced in their own right, many of their adversaries in the past were quite primitive. Few had technology anywhere close to the Kadgeron weapons and advanced defenses the Dragonarians and their allies deployed. The first war lasted abour six years, ending in the signing of the Non-Aggression Treaty of Kemoran III. Dragonarians left Kemorainian space, and both sides went about rebuilding what was left."

"However," Annika continued, "It was during that time that the seeds of the second war were sewn." She looked to Gracia. "Did you ever hear how the second war started?"

[ballisticwaffles]

"Momma says that Interspecies wars are impolite to study." Gracia said, shrinking form the attention. "Momma says that its there own business and we shouldn't judge"

[Star_Dragon]

"Perhaps so," Annika admitted. She paused, then went on, "After the first war ended, the Kemorainians were left with an indelible scar. For the first time in their history since their ascension into space, they had not been victorious in war. This created a burning desire for revenge in the Kemorainian Empire."

"However, the Kemorainians realized they would not prevail against the Dragonarians alone," Kyle elaborated. "For the first time ever in their history, they sought out an ally... and happened across the Terran Alliance. The Terran Alliance had warships and technology that could even the odds of the conflict. But, such as it was, the Terrans did not trust the Kemorainians."

"One of the Kemorainian fleets made a mistake of destroying a Terran Border Outpost in an attempt to trick the Terrans into siding with the Kemorainians by blaming the Dragonarians," Annika said. "For a time, it worked, and the Terrans were inclined to fight for the Kemorainians - until a diplomatic meeting between Terran Fleet Admiral Terrance Hood and Dragonarian General Kylet'oran Jek'ari caused the Terrans to realize they'd been played."

The history story halted as the food was brought.

[ballisticwaffles]

Gracia thanked the server, spinning lettuce and tomatoes into her mouth with flicks of her wrist. "I dont like it when people fight" She frowned. "But Mr. Kyle, if the Dragonarians were more powerfull, then how come they didnt win at first?" She looked as if having any knowledge of war made her freeky. "Momma says that if someone has power, the best and closest route is the one to victory"

[Star_Dragon]

"They did," Kyle said. "The first war ended - as was revealed during the second - when the Kemorainians brokered the treaty to buy time. The second war, they weren't so lucky. For both sides, the only acceptable outcome was the complete defeat of the other."

Kyle dug into his steak as Annika continued, "The second war lasted roughly as long as the first, and would have dragged on longer were it not for the many more far-sighted Kemorainian military elements that defected, seeing that if the Empire continued this way, it would be utterly destroyed. Officers, ships, and sometimes entire fleets of Kemorainians defected. Among them is the current leader of the Kemorainian military, General Tekklen Kedd'khan."

"Ironically, their betrayal of their empire saved it," Kyle said after gulping a bite. "The second war was devastating for the Kemorainians, and ended when the Allied forces assaulted the Kemorainian homeworld itself, Kemoran Prime. The emperor of the Kemorainian Empire, Sul Kuudaako, was killed in the battle... but as with the end of the first, the end of the Second Kemoran War was merely the preface of the third. It was after the second war ended that the Kemorainians decided to discard their racist, bloodthirsty vision of manifest dominion."

"However," Annika said, "not everyone within the Kemorainian Empire was willing to discard this vision, and they eventually broke off to form the Kemorainian Rebel Insurrection, led by a shadowy figure that, at the time, none knew existed."

"Ever hear the name Zuil Kuudaako?" Kyle asked.

(Believe it or not, old friend, I have mentioned Zuil Kuudaako before - in an rp long ago... I think it was that Halo: Rift War rp over on Galaxies.)

[ballisticwaffles]

( Its been a while but i remember that)

"No sir. Not even in a passing" Gracia admitted, drizelling as much sauce as she could on her salad. "But i think momma worked with him once a long time ago."

[Star_Dragon]

Kyle chuckled. "Firstly, Gracia, Zuil Kuudaako wasn't a man, she was a woman - and she was the secret heir to the old Kemorainian throne. She took the reins of what was left of her father's empire after her father died, and formed the KRI in an effort to restore the old Kemorainian Empire to it's former glory."

"During the time that Zuil was building her army in another part of the galaxy, the Kemorainian Empire had reformed, becoming the long-standing Dragonarian ally they are today," Annika explained. "After nine years since the end of the Second Kemoran War, Zuil Kuudaako sent a broad-comm transmission to every relay station in Kemorainian Space, which put it on every Kemorainian world - her declaration of war."

"Hold on," Kyle interrupted, "I think I have a copy of that message." He dug into his cloak, and retrieved a datapad. He toyed with it for a bit until he found what he was looking for. "Take a look."

On the screen, the heiress of the old Kemorainian throne spoke, "Citizens, warriors, and soldiers of the Kemorainian Empire! Hear me! Did you ever turn in your sleep when your freedom was siezed from you? Did you hear them when they told you it was done in your name? Or did you wake from your dream and never question the reality of your slavery? The light of our empire has been extinguished by shadows. We now live in fear of jack-booted troops, hulking, winged beasts and clanking tools of oppression. We let this happen. We all let this happen. But it is not too late! We are free in our hearts and minds and it is there that true rebellion must begin! Look to those who would unite us only to enslave us. Look to those who would make us rich but rob us of our souls. Look to those who would make us free by stealing our liberty. Question everything. Believe nothing. Take action in the places they cannot see and they will never truly conquer us."

"Interesting speech, some would say," Kyle commented, cutting into his steak.

[ballisticwaffles]

Gracia nodded. After her adoption she took quite well to auditory stylings. "That makes sense. She sounds like you guys were treating the Kemoranians not nicely."

She swallowed a few bites of salad, thinking of somethign to say. "Did you mistreat the Kemoranians? I mean, ive seen momma do bad things to conquered people, but... did you?"

[Star_Dragon]

Kyle smiled. "Thankfully, I wasn't there - but I know for a fact that we didn't mistreat the Kemorainians. In fact, we helped them rebuild after the previous wars. Zuil was misguided... but brilliant, at the same time."

"Zuil Kuudaako's propaganda against the Dragonarian Empire and her allies was just that - propaganda," Annika explained. "But it enticed many in the Kemorainian empire to join her cause."

"My father served in the Third Kemoran war," Kyle said. "Unlike the previous wars... the Third Kemoran war lasted ten long years, during which both sides took... terrible losses. The KRI brought out weapons and tech the galaxy had never seen, and had no compunctions whatsoever killing fellow Kemorainians to advance their cause."

"The KRI began to falter during the battle of New Zurich," Annika said, "And the Alliance was quick to sieze the initiative. They won a long string of victories, until the KRI seemingly disappeared."

"A chance intelligence coup revealed the last bastion of the KRI war effort, which was also the heart of their faction..." Kyle said. He paused, remembering something, but banishing it. "... Kemoran IV; a convenient position on Kemoran Prime's doorstep for such a significant target. The entire world was covertly devoted to the KRI. My father served in the battle that followed, and though I was never there, I remember what he saw as if I was... The KRI gathered every last ship they had left... the largest fleet they had ever gathered. Even then, it was tattered, broken, and damaged. It was a last stand, and we all knew it; we tore into them like beasts, shredding their ships to scrap as they fought back. But this time, we didn’t intend to invade the surface – we wanted to destroy the planet. A necessary evil that had unforeseen consequences. I... remember seeing ships full of soldiers – allies, friends, strangers, enemies – all just burn and die. I could... smell the smoke. I remember the device that was supposed to destroy the planet, but it... malfunctioned. It didn’t go off. Against orders, my father went down to Kemoran IV and detonated the device himself... more than six million Kemorainians lost their lives in the span of five minutes... After my father came home, it took him a long time to recover from the ordeal."

"The battle of Kemoran IV is remembered in history today as the last stand of the old Kemorainian Empire," Annika said. "The planet itself remains a graveyard world, barely capable of supporting a breatheable atmosphere. After Kemoran IV, the third Kemoran War ended, and the last heiress of the old Kemorainian throne was executed. The racist and bloodthirsty ideals of that empire died with her."

"But Kemoran IV has touched many things," Kyle stated, "And it casts its echoes, still to this day..."

[ballisticwaffles]

Gracia at first did not respond, her mouth covered by her hand and her eyes wide and fearfull. Almost sacreligiously she whispered. "S-S-Six million?" She uncovered her mouth, looking as if she commited a cardinal sin. "Thats horrable..." She pushed around her saled, no longer hungry for the leefy greens. Almost a second later her head rose.

"How did those deaths fare back on your capital world?"

[Star_Dragon]

"As I said," Kyle repeated, "Kemoran IV has touched many things, and it casts its echoes still. My father, like so many others involved in that battle, did not emerge unscathed. Many of those involved had nightmares for the rest of their lives... even my father, until the moment he perished on B'tari when the Draconians came. After all, one does not kill six million and not be haunted by the screams of the dead, echoing from that world."

"After the Third Kemoran war, however, the Kemorainians rejoiced," Anna concluded. "They could finally get about the business of rebuilding their empire, rather than preserving it. Over time, the Kemorainians - though still mistrusted by the humans - became a staunch ally of the Dragonarians. Even the feared Faedyrs - the Kemorainian assassins - worked closely with the Dragonarian Dakk'ronn Kommedohs on special operations and black-ops behind enemy lines during the Raptorian Crisis and the Vidarrian conflict."

[ballisticwaffles]

"Why is there so much war?" Gracia asked, her eyes cast downward and open to their fullest, still attempting to imagen 6,000,000 people dying without so much as a tear in their direction.

"What happened next, Mr Kyle?"

[Star_Dragon]

Kyle sighed. "What happened next," he said, "were the events leading up to the war in which I served in - the war against the Draconian Collective... among which... was the destruction of B'tari." Even as he said this, Kyle's gaze drifted down, and his hand twitched, wanting to ball into a fist. His eyes closed and his brow furrowed - he was angry, but he controlled it. Annika placed a hand on his, and Kyle looked up, gazing into her amber-yellow eyes, and whatever message was conveyed, Kyle calmed.

The destruction of B'tari was a touchy subject, obviously. "What happened on and after B'tari is a story for another time," Annika told Gracia, "And I imagine you've heard enough war tales." She looked to Gracia, pushing away a few strands of her golden-blonde hair out of her eyes. "Is there anything else you would like to know?"

[ballisticwaffles]

"N-n-n-nothing Mrs. Annika" Gracia said, looking shyly at Her. "THank you for telling me, im gonna ask momma later what she thinks about things." She calmed down slightly, tilting her head, and posing a question. "Can i meet Mr. Indari, Mr. Kyle?"

[Star_Dragon]

Kyle frowned. "I'm sorry," he said, "Who are you looking for?"

[ballisticwaffles]

"My apologise, Mr. Kyle, I ment Mr. Jek'ari... Im not good with names..." Gracia frowned. "I want to see this man you said you are looking for"

[Star_Dragon]

"Oh! You mean Kylet'oran?" Kyle asked. He laughed lightly, then added, "I never said we were looking for him; we said we worked for him. And if he was anywhere but here, we'd be the last to know; General Jek'ari has his ways of getting our attention." He paused, then asked, "What's your reason for wanting to meet him, if you don't mind my asking?"

[ballisticwaffles]

Gracia fidgeted in her seat. "Well... Momma and i live on a ship... and the captain is a little weird.... and he wanted me to ask Mr. Kyle't Oran what he thinks of Mr. Jay"

[Star_Dragon]

Kyle shrugged. "Well, as I said," Kyle replied, "If Kylet'oran was anywhere but here, I'd be the last to know. He and his wife generally stay away from society, these days - something about their advanced age and Kylet'oran's multi-mile-long service record."

"Might we meet with Mr. Jay, see what he wants from our employer?" Annika asked. "Perhaps we can set up a meeting with your friends and our employer."

(BW, you do know that this isn't the Jedi Kylet'oran, this is the ex-High General of the Dragonarian Military Kylet'oran, right?)

[ballisticwaffles]

(Admittedly i didn't)

"You wanna meet Mr. Jay?" Gracia perked up at the though of someone doing the talking for her. "Ill be right back!" SHe bolted off into the complex, going deeper and deeper, sure to reappear next post.

[Star_Dragon]

(No worries, old friend. Still want to meet General Jek'ari?)

Kyle and Annika stared after Gracia as she dashed off.

"Ever think about having kids, baby?" Annika asked Kyle.

"It's crossed my mind a few times, I'll admit," Kyle admitted. "However... I wouldn't risk it until I am sure that, if we do have children, they would be safe from the enemies we made over the course of our carrer."

"Eh, true," Annika admitted, "But you and I both know the only place we'd truly be safe is on Dragon'taan."

[ballisticwaffles]

Gracia emerged from the crowd, her hand clenched in the mechanical vice of Jay's robotic hand. She dragged him over to kyle AND Annika, The mechanical whirring of his Feet getting louder and louder. "You are Kyle?" THe monotonous belched from his facemask, his eyes gleaming with kindness.

[Star_Dragon]

"I am," Kyle affirmed. He offered his hand to shake. "Kyle Draco Bellator - this is my girlfriend, Annika."

"Hi there," Annika said.

[ballisticwaffles]

" I Am Joseph Hopkins." He gave a slight bow, taking a seat next to Gracia. "My name is... no wait i just said that... I wish to speak with General Kyle't Oran. I wish to... oops. I need to ask him about this galaxy."