Sundering the Gates [Open]

[Cambrei]

Sundering the Gates
Esstran Sector - Ziost System 

3594 BBY 

With the Quiet War dawning over the galaxy, Ziost has fallen victim to internal unrest, as Sith and Imperial aristocracy begin to consolidate their assets, either in self-preservation or in preparation for the inevitable collapse of this temporary peace. Maintaining its title as the heart of commerce for the edges of the Sith Worlds, Ziost has erupted into a cesspool for political intrigue and social unrest within the sector. Large Imperial fleets patrol major hyperspace lanes, starports have doubled their military garrisons, and Imperial customs have grown even more intolerant of violations in the code of law. 

The civilian populace of Ziost’s capital, New Adasta, grows restless, as the occupation of new star systems by the Empire has encumbered the commercial infrastructure of the city. Ziost struggles to cope with the influx of trade and heightened demand for manufacturing, increasing tension among the working class. Imperial fabrication plants have begun to replace their human work force with automation at multiple tiers of administration, provoking an increased military presence to quell the potential for worker’s uprisings. 

Many criminal organizations rally to Ziost’s vulnerability, seeking to fill the gaps in the Empire’s economic infrastructure. Smuggling grows rampant in response to an overburdened civilian merchant fleet. Unskilled and unemployed civilians, cast aside by the Empire, are swayed by the black markets and their many illicit luxuries. Bounty hunting grows increasingly profitable, as the paranoid and uncompromising aristocracy seeks to eliminate their political opponents. The Sith grow excessively preoccupied with power struggles to unify against a common threat. Imperial propaganda ensures that Ziost maintains its image of prosperity to the rest of the galaxy, evoking negligence and insufficient oversight by off-world political administrators. An exhausted military struggles to maintain order.

The outskirts of the Ziost's pristine cities and settlements are now plagued with spice addiction, human trafficking, murder, and organized crime. At the gates of the Empire stands a hidden conflict, where the Sith’s vision of order is contested by the encroaching influence of the criminal underworld. 

[Cambrei]

New Adasta’s spaceport was nearly indistinguishable from a prison courtyard. Imperial patrols of a dozen men walked up and down the corridors, occasionally branching off to each of the hangars to inspect recently landed vessels. Citizens stand in organized lines that serpent back and forth through the spaceport’s reception areas, all awaiting the appropriate clearance to move either themselves or their cargo into the city. Occasionally the quiet chatter of impatient civilians is pierced by a brief whistle, and subsequent violent arrest of a less-than-cooperative passerby. 

Commander Serian Beralis marched through the spaceport casually, datapad in hand, whistling an oddly chipper Imperial tune despite the commotion of an overly assertive arrest nearby. He is flanked at either side by Imperial infantry, escorting the commander through the spaceport dutifully, shoving aside careless civilians that would obstruct their march. Behind the commander stood two ranks of additional armed men, each guiding hovering kennels, reinforced to contain ferocious beasts. The synchronous cadence of the march seemed to match the meter of the commander’s whistle, imparting an unsettling atmosphere of authority.

A Rodian man in freighter’s attire strides by the company, his movements openly suspicious. The kennels immediately grew restless as he passed, thrashing about violently with the hounding sounds of antagonized akk dogs. One soldier seemed to have trouble with keeping the kennel door closed, as a veracious maw peaked just far enough from the kennel to evoke genuine fear in the civilians nearby. The Rodian reels back with nervous apprehension, seeming to clutch at something hidden within his coat pockets.

“Arrest him, if you'd be so kind.” Said Beralis calmly yet confidently with neither hesitation, nor distraction, maintaining his eyes upon his datapad, resuming his cheerful whistling once his words were acknowledged by a passing patrol. The commander seemed unbothered as the Rodian was tackled to the ground, coat pockets turned out forcefully, non-descript canisters being confiscated immediately. The akk dogs seemed to calm themselves soon after, remaining well-behaved inside their kennels. 

Others in the vicinity resume business as normal, making way for the commander and his company of men. The crowded, restless spaceport seemed like a suitable location for a variety of characters to make their appearance, likely impeded on their journey by inspections, scans, or bureaucratic red tape at every corner.