Arms Length

[Coratanni Cartel]

Oubliette Shadowport - [member="Hircine"]
Kara

There were many places in the galaxy that most people chose to ignore. It wasn't out of any sort of morality, but mainly profit. Shadowports dotted the galaxy almost as much as those of legitimate interest. There were thousands of them spread across the galaxy, from the core to wild space. If one looked hard enough they could find a Shadowport hidden in nearly every corner. It was a fact of life.

A necessity even.

Kara Thawne rarely ventured from the tower in her own shadowport Ylen. There was hardly ever a need for it, and the comfort of home was something that just couldn't be replicated in even the finest hotels. Yet at times leaving was a necessity, not just for her own benefit, but for the good of the Cartel. That was why she had come to Oubliette today, why she'd made the long trip in one of her fathers stealth shuttles.

The Twi'lek stalked down the ramp of her ship, flanked by two Coratanni Executioners. Her eyes wandered through the hangar bay for just a moment, skipping over the droids working in the far corner and landing on a small stooped little man waiting by the door. Kara stopped for just a moment, frowning in displeasure at being greeted by the little creature. She scoffed, and then approached him.

"My Lady, we've prepared the conference room for your arrival."​

​

His voice had the aspect of a slithering snake, words that seemed to creep from his lips. Kara looked down at him, then motioned with her hand. "My guest?"

The man seemed to flinch with her response, the sting of her tone clearly having some effec ton him. Perhaps he had expected praise, but Kara wasn't the sort to give it unless it was truly earned.

"W-will be brought there once you arrive."​

Kara stared at the man for a moment, then simply nodded. The Executioners behind her remained silent, though their body language allowed them to remain completely aloof. Another second or two passed, and then the little worm finally turn and began to lead the way. The Conference room was located only a short way from the hangar and was Ornate in nature, usually used by the Hutt's in charge of this place to negotiate trade deals.

There was a long table of inlaid gold, several plush chairs, and of course the typical Hutt architecture dotting every corner of the room.

Kara despised it.

 

[Darth Athora]

Public appearances was not Hircine's favorite. She had preferred not showing her faux face around too many places in fear of having to find a new face to utilize on the regular. However, this is one of those rare cases where she had no choice but to do that which she despised. She had to in order to meet with a representative of the Coratanni Cartel. There was something she wanted and it was something they had: a sense of belonging. Her and her children needed a cause to fight for. She did not care what, but she knew what being stagnant does to her children. They would grow bloodthirsty and annoyed without something to dig their claws, blades, and teeth in for too long.

This was more for them instead of her.

Hircine had arrived to Oubliette aboard an unmarked freighter. She tipped the pilot some credits to make a stop here to drop her off. She looked around, scanning the shadowport for anything that caught her eye as odd. She never believed she was paranoid. Just overly cautious. Could never be too careful.

A smaller man walked up to Hircine and gave her a lookover. "What a strange amulet you have there."

At that moment, Hircine remembered the code phrase she was given for this meeting. "The better to melt your mind with, my dear."

"Welcome, Lady Hircine. The meeting room, and your friend, await you. Follow me."

Hircine walked behind the man as he lead her to the meeting room where Kara awaited her arrival. Hircine had hoped she was not too late. She needed her first impression to the Cartel to be as close to perfect as possible. The man pressed a button adjacent to a metal door which then slid upwards, revealing the meeting room. Hircine stepped inside and looked upon Kara before noticing the style of the room. Hircine wasn't used to being around that much lavishness as the Hutts were so lucky to bathe themselves in. She returned her gaze to Kara before speaking. "Are you the one I am meant to meet with? You're a little more ... orange than I had expected. But, if you're with the cartel, you could be a rancor for all I care. Thank you for meeting with me."

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Hircine"]

For a few seconds Kara remained silent, her eyes simply trailing up and down the other woman as she studied her. There was a distinct listless pause to the way she looked at Hircine, almost as of the appraisal was hardly worth her time. Eventually however she shifted in her throne like chair, pulling herself back and offering a smile.

"We are a diverse family." Her siblings ranged from Humans to Falleen, her youngest brother was even a Yuuzhan Vong.

Of course many people were aware that the Coratanni Cartel's upper leadership was composed of a single family. No one knew their name, and there were those outside, but it was no great secret that the Cartel was an incredibly insular organization. Specifically at the top. Kara herself was a captain, one of the few of her siblings that stood above the rest. That was why she was here instead of one of her brothers or sisters. She had the authority that was necessary.

"Ordinarily this meeting might have taken place closer to home but..." She trailed off, waving her hand in gesture. "You understand."

Secrets were necessary, especially in dealings like this. "What can the Coratanni Cartel do for you?"

She did not introduce herself, not yet anyway. Before that happened she wanted to know what was being brought to the table.

 

[Darth Athora]

Hircine couldn't say she worked for or with any organization before. She has affiliations with some, but their loose at best and more for her own personal gain instead of mutual benefit. But, this time things were different.

"I know you who you people are and the things you do. I want a piece of that. For me and mine. I have a group of specially enhanced individuals that are itching to find work. The kind that you provide."

In truth, Hircine was still gathering her children in her constant search. She had a few hopefuls, but nothing solid yet. She was confident in her abilities to bring something to the table though.

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Hircine"]

Straight and to the point, Kara supposed there was something to that.

Admittedly she was a bit of a talker when it came to this sort of thing, mother had always said she liked the sound of her own voice. A frown touched the Twi'leks lips for a brief few seconds, and slowly she leaned back in the throne like chair that the Hutt's had provided.

It was quite uncomfortable.

"I see." With an absent mind Kara reached up and idly began to play with the tip of her lekku, slowly batting it around for a moment as she considered the offer. The Coratanni Cartel was an insular organization, preferring to use it's own soldiers rather than outside contractors. Despite that though, she saw value in something like this. She mused for a second more, then looked Hircine up and down one more time. "I suppose we can find work for you."

There was plenty to do after all. "Specialties?"

Things were about to fall into turmoil in several areas of the galaxy, and having a longer reach would be beneficial.

 

[Darth Athora]

Hircine reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver disc, placing it upon the table before her. "Plenty." Fromt he disc, a hologram would flicker on, revealing several members of Shadowmane in action. One would be a shistavanen warrior ripping and tearing through his foes like a lightsaber through paper. Another would be a Stenak flying above the battlefield, raining blaster fire down below him on some unlucky victims. Many more passed by, each with incredible abilities used tot heir fullest by Hircine.

"I call it Shadowmane. Once, I ran a secret operation under the Republic where I trained special personnel in the art of warfare to be used against enemies of the Republic. But, the Republic soon had no need for me or Shadowmane. They believed my methods of enhancing them were too inhumane so they scrapped it. Since we were a black ops unit, it was easy for them to destroy my research and any files related to us. What they didn't do was get rid of the information I had in my head. That and members of Shadowmane were a bit pissed for being let go like that without reason. Which is why I am here speaking to you. Give us a reason to fight again and we'll not disappoint."

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Hircine"]

Kara leaned forward slightly, watching the holo-recording with no small amount of interest.

A small smile touched her lips, though the emotion seemed almost false. The Twi'lek lingered for a moment, and then slowly leaned back. Her gaze swept towards Hircine once more, the smile disappearing from her lips before she finally spoke up. "If you're looking for a cause you've come to the wrong place."

The Coratanni Cartel had no ulterior motives. They did what they did for money and power, that was it. They weren't trying to be a government, they weren't attempting to subvert the Alliance, Sith, or anyone else.

"However." She shifted slightly. "If you want funding to continue your research, to enjoy at your leisure. If you want places to live and palaces to occupy...that is something I can help you with."

They'd already expanded all over the galaxy, another lab, another training camp wouldn't be hard. "There will be plenty to kill in the coming months."

Especially if the rumors were true.

 

[Darth Athora]

Hircine retrieved the holodisk and returned it to her pocket. "That would be great, yes. Whatever you can provide, I shall repay 100 times over with my experiments."

All Hircine needed was the resources to rebuild her unit. She could not have gone anywhere else with this. The Galactic Alliance would have had the same feelings as the Republic and probably arrest her and the Sith would have taken her research from her and left her in the gutter. THe rest would not have taken her in, she was sure of that.

"So, do we have a deal, then?"

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Hircine"]

"We do." Kara confirmed quietly.

Outside contractors were always a risk, no matter who they were. The Cartel kept itself insular for more than paranoia. There was no telling what someone else was going to do, but there was no harm in experimenting. Betrayal was always in the cards, no matter who it came from.

The idea could be controlled however. As long as they were careful.

"We'll have work soon." Depending on how the galaxy shifted. "You'll be contacted on this."

The Twi'lek made a motion, and suddenly one of the guards at the corner of the room moved. The man pulled a small communicator from his belt, tossing it onto the table and slowly sliding it across towards Hircine. The device was small, simple, and untraceable.

 

[Darth Athora]

Hircine leaned forward, took the device from the table and inspected it closely. "Excellent." Hircine rose from the table and extended her hand to shake the twilek's in order to seal the deal. Once the agreement was made, Hircine would see herself out of the area, moving on to the next stage of her plan.

Things were getting good for Xristana. Much faster than she anticipated.

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]