Pax Aranea and the Mandalorians

With the actualisation of 'The Force' as a power in real life people began flocking to Star Wars the Old Republic, Sith and Jedi classes dominating all of the new choices as regular every day people who had gained the proclivity to use the force foresaw an opportunity to rise above their lowly positions in life.

Alongside this change came a new paradigm related to SWTOR, its importance for the future of 800 million people paramount. 

...

The Hyperlane Hustlers were currently basking in an achievement that took the majority of the month to accomplish, multiple missions with the help of the twitch chat and the generous donation of several hundred thousand credits from an anonymous source that merely called themselves 'Dark Knight'. 

All of the members, Spiff, Ned, Emma, Markiplier, Jack and the new addition of Peter were currently seated in a large lounge space on the hive of scum and villainy called, Nar Shaddar. Twi'lek serving girls and even some Chiss men served drinks to the members, all of them equipped in varying levels of armour and weaponry. 

"Hey Ned, did you get past level 50 yet?" Markiplier called out towards the teen, his head turning to watch Mark as he ate space-grapes out of the hands of a waitress, the service very professional. 

"Yeah! Got up to 56, I even got the rank of Commander. As it is now, I am relatively free to deploy myself as I see fit." Many of the other streamers cocked their heads at this statement but decided to let it go... It was odd for anyone to be able to freely choose what they wanted to do, unless you were a smuggler or a non-associated Jedi.

"Oh, good on you... Speaking about the Republic, any news on how the cold war is going?"

Ned winced a touch before speaking out. "Not so cold... currently Taris is the focus of some intense warfare between the Jedi-backed alien populace and the Sith-supported human upper-class. As far as I know, through central command, we are in a stalemate of sorts until the Sith or Jedi decide to make their move." Mark smiled at this and began whispering about opportunities for smuggling, he was really getting into the role of a 'criminal'.

Emma spoke up soon after. "From what I can understand of the Sith Empire, using the underworld as a source mind you, there is a new faction that had been rising massively. A Sith by the name of Vandal has taken a council position and is currently setting out to carve his part out of the Sith Empire... The Underworld is dubious about his intentions as every effort to contact him has fallen through." Jack rubbed his hands through his character's beard in thought as Peter was the next to speak up.

"The Jedi hadn't heard about this... Perhaps I could trade this information in for some higher benefit? Emma, if you wouldn't mind helping me with that?" Emma, the blond-haired supermodel of a woman, smiled and ruffled his hair before pulling out papers from mid-air; her inventory.

She chuckled as she handed them over. "Have it kid. Doesn't hurt me to pass the information on and what would I be if I betrayed my own guild just for the sake of some gang scum...?" Peter blushed hard under her domineering big-sister energy, Ned secretly cursing his best friend for his luck with women.

 "Wait, wait, wait... Tonight was supposed to be about celebrating the founding of our own world in the Outer Rim! Enough chit-chat, we got drinks to have and food to enjoy!" The waitresses and waiters all launched into a flurry as they took that as their que to bring in the feast and drinks. The one who interrupted the conversation, Markiplier, leaning forwards and grinning madly.

"What should our planet be called...?" He immediately chimed in after his own question with an 'ooo' 'ooo' noise. "I got the perfect idea... Markovia!" Everyone around the room groaned and sighed as Mark looked around the room as if they had all betrayed him in his greatest moment.

Ned made the next suggestion, the heart-stricken Mark grabbing onto his heart and theatrically playing out his character's death; despite not having been killed at all.

"Ludopolis? Maybe...?" The rest chewed on his suggestion until Jack shook his head and clapped his hands.

"I know! We could definitely name it Glacio-Septica!!!" He bounced upwards like an excited Irishman would and looked around the room for support, the majority of the Hyperlane Hustlers nodded and made mildly interested faces, that was until Mark stepped in.

"But it isn't an ice-world?" Everyone groaned and leaned back into the chairs. Finally, it was Peter's and Spiff's turn, the two of them glancing at one another until Spiff finally decided to speak up.

"Ahum. Our world should come to represent something glorious, something uniquely satisfying... I suggest we name it Reanu Keeves! OR, if that doesn't sit well with everyone, alternatively, Britannis Prime." The second suggestion was spoken with much less gusto but was the much better choice, most of the guild grinning at the obvious connection between his actions in space and the choice of name... Which made it oddly fitting.

Lastly Peter gave his suggestion. "Pax Aranea...? It means-" Emma cut him off and leaned forwards, her lips curling upwards in a smile, "Peace of the Spider. An interesting name..." Spiff sipped his Yorkshire tea with an added decibel, the increase in volume slightly distracting amidst the young teen's suggestion.

All of them sat there for several minutes until they agreed on one single thing, Spiff vocalising it for them all. "Peter, in future, you will name everything new." The teen's eyes widened massively as Ned almost laughed his ass off right there and then... It was essentially guaranteed that his suggestion had been accepted. 

Markiplier hastily lead people into a cheers, his champagne bubbling around the ice as his companions raised various liquid filled glasses in unison. "Cheers to Pax Aranea!" 

*Clink* *Clink* *Clink* *Clink* *Clink* *Clink*

...

In another part of space, a woman draped in high-level Beskar Armour and helmed in golden-yellow colours looked over a holo-map of the entire star sector that her Clan, Clan Wren, operated out of. 

"Ravos, what is the report on the mining colonies within the Asteroid Belt?"

A man in similar armour to the woman's own but with hunting trophies hung and welded on pressed a finger into the 3D holo-map, into a dense cloud of Asteroid fields not too far away from the home world of the Wren Clan.

"Currently they have reported that minerals such as Iron, Copper and Zinc have been found. Refineries have taken this material and extrapolated it into basic components for city maintenance and ship maintenance. There is one single asteroid colony that has found the materials necessary to refine Transparisteel." The woman straightened her posture a touch and looked over the entire map, her mind whirring away at multiple different plans at a single time.

"Ravos, you are to schedule a meeting with the Clan Eldar... I wish to discuss trading opportunities between out Clans and also potentially speak on a future alliance if the Varad or Ordo inflict damage on the trade routes between our two Clans." The large man nodded deeply, his face hidden behind a Mandalorian helm and the Dragon-skull that draped over it, before setting off out of the doors to the command centre of Clan Wren.

"Hmmm, Orani, you will act as a diplomat with Clan Vizsla. I need them to grant us trade rights and to also enter an alliance or non-aggression pact with us... I would prefer the former but the latter is acceptable." This woman, dressed the same as the man, grunted through the voice-box of her helm and set off with two guards at her side.

Now she was left alone in the room, her hands rising to her helm quickly as she exhaled in frustration, her red-blue hair tumbling down to her mid-back as she grimaced.

"That took an hour to put together and yet I feel more disdain for the claustrophobic design of these blasted helmets." Yuna slammed her fist down onto the Holo-map as she stretched her neck and began looking through her inventory. 

The game had been a bitch to her so far and she had struggled through every mission she was given... This time though she was going to struggle as her next mission was to unite Mandalorians and take up the mantle of a Mandalore. Her own clan spoke of a need to unite and fight against the influence of the Sith and Jedi, a task that she had hijacked to complete her missions. Now however, she was facing a massively high-level task and needed to find a world with equally high level missions, quests and rewards.

It was that last part that had her stumped. Many of the worlds that had been shared to the public on the forums were well within the Republic's influence or the Sith Empire's. Murmurs of other such worlds abounded but they were all pyrrhic paths that lead to being scammed in most circumstances... She needed a solution, fast, or she would stagnate and lose her power over her clan and any gains she could make from this game.

A communication bleeped through the computer that ran the holo-map, a holographic representation of a friend of her's popping up.

"Oi! Yuna! I heard you needed some complex missions?"

"For sure, you got some for me...?"

The blonde-haired woman tossed her hair over her shoulder and raised her eyebrows before she spoke. "Of course. But the situation is complex and may require some of the manpower of your Mandalorians..."

"No issue, what is it?"

"How do you feel about the Ecumenopolis of Taris?"

Yuna frowned and searched it up on the forums for a moment, noticing very little chatter about the world.

"Depends on who is there, what side, if any, we'll be fighting for and what our mission is."

The Blonde grinned and tapped the air before her a screen emerging for Yuna.

"You will be working for the Hyperlane Hustlers, Markiplier wishes to setup his own criminal underworld on the planet and needs some mercenary forces for the period of a month to protect him whilst he spreads his influence."

"Hehe, sowing chaos?"

The blonde nodded mischievously. 

"Count Clan Wren in... Just found myself in need of a mission and credits. We'll work out the details in person, how many people you want?"

"Twenty to Thirty, mainly armed against Jedi or Sith."

"I can work with that, I'll meet you on your planet." The comms were cut instantly by Yuna as the doors opened behind her.

"Yuna, it seems that there has been an official request for members of Clan Wren to journey to a world called Pax Aranea... They handed us coordinates."

"Very good, I heard of the details. Gather our best thirty fighters and have them assembled in a single unmarked ship." The man nodded before rushing off, his armour clanking slightly as thousands of Mandalorians patrolled the walls of her stronghold.

'Let's hope that Taris is as hospitable as promised.'

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