Cartomantic Deliberations (nothing to see here)

[Velok the Younger]

[member="Grimoire"] [member="Calina Ovmar"] [member="Neelig Waawat"] [member="Nyra Mazul"] [member="Darth Ignus"] [member="Siyndacha Aerin"] @anyone else in our little faction

ASCALON MINING CENTRE
BHERIZ SYSTEM

From time to time, as per a longstanding and unexceptional business agreement, groups of businesspersons gathered in a rented boardroom suite at the Ascalon Mining Centre. This was not the kind of place where Sithing around would be tolerated: it was a low-profile meeting place. Velok, for example, wore a suit. Many of the participants were already here.

A holographic map of the Stygian Caldera filled half the boardroom.

"This map," said Velok, "represents our best guess as to the Silver Sanctum Coalition's current field of influence. Their strongest points are Korriban and Dromund Kaas, but we believe they control as far up the Nache Bhelfia as Nicht Ka and Khar Delba, as well as a third of the Kamat Aegit and the entire Kamat Krote. As a side note, what this map doesn't show is that they control almost none of the Daragon Trail, and it enters Mandalorian territory fairly quickly.

"The Coalition has been distracted with the Sith Triumvirate and the failed invasion of Ruusan. Now that the Triumvirate has collapsed, however, I believe they'll turn their attention to Ziost, Thule, and Malachor -- the three most important Sith worlds that are still outside their control. A strategy like that might leave portions of the Caldera free -- the Descri Wris, especially past Svolten, and potentially even the dead end of the Kamat Aegit. Those are possibilities. Outlying worlds such as Corbos and Iliabath are more likely to stay free of Coalition influence.

"What I'm proposing is that we get there first." He gestured at the entire north half of the map. "Obviously we don't have the resources to challenge the Coalition, but we have flexibility. And many of us have connections to the old Sith Empire. I believe we can obtain crucial resources and secure important assets with a series of stealth incursions on the worlds they don't control. We pull back as they move in, and we set up listening posts and so forth in advance of their probable advance. Every government has a shelf life, and the Coalition is believed to have peaked years ago. In due time, they'll weaken to the point where we could liberate the entire Caldera. For now, our priority is to lay the groundwork for our long-term goals."

A larger-than-normal, well-bred sleen lay beside his chair; Velok scratched the base of the massive lizard's skull, and it hissed in pleasure.

"Questions?"

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

Leos didn't wear a suit. He didn't even own one. Truthfully he found the things stifling and formative. It was much akin to the Jedi and their demands that members of their order wear a certain garb. The older Jedi, that is. Not something he was particularly fond of. That and he didn't feel like wasting the money for a set of clothing he'd likely wear a handful of times and leave in his wardrobe the rest. Not worth the credits.

Still, the meeting was important so he'd made sure his robes were cleaned and pressed such that he was presentable. It wasn't as if they were discussing how to muck out a nerf stall, or something. This was the fate of their resources at stake. The Coalition was pressing in on their traditional worlds, and if nothing was done to secure the balance of power, the Sith and their power base would begin to dwindle, the galaxy would be thrown out of balance, and would probably rip itself asunder. The Sith and Dark Jedi were a necessary part of the galaxy as a whole. Without them, chaos would take root.

"What you're proposing makes sense. If we allow the Coalition to simply take those worlds we'll have lost access to part of our identity. We can't man a full assault on them at the moment, but guerrilla tactics may work. Additionally, if we get there in advance of their agents we can set up listening posts and research stations to gather intel we can use to our benefit."

He took a seat in one of the chairs, having been standing during the initial talk.

"The question is, how do we divide ourselves to this task?"

[member="Grimoire"] [member="Velok the Younger"] [member="Calina Ovmar"] [member="Neelig Waawat"] [member="Nyra Mazul"] [member="Siyndacha Aerin"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Darth Ignus"], [member="Velok the Younger"]


Young Enyo scrutinised the map with a dispassionate, stone-like expression that mirrored the HRDs who'd raised her. Her opinion of the Silver Coalition, which had apparently changed its name back to the Order of the Silver Jedi, could be summed up with the word contempt.


Their namesake from centuries past had been militant Jedi zealots who sought to purge the Dark Side. As misguided and deluded as they'd been, she could respect their fighting spirit. But their modern incarnation seemed content to sit problems out and hope that storms would pass by them. Again and again, they'd relied on darksiders and rogues to fight for them. Ironically, one of them was her 'sister'.


The Clone doubted she'd be willing to do so anymore. Strictly speaking, Enyo could probably not be considered a Sith, though she saw the logic in breaking one's chains and overcoming limitations. She had no qualms about aiding these ones though. Her eyes darted towards the Whiphid. Her benefactor, Moira Skaldi, had worked with the late Velok until his demise at Contruum.


"It is not an approach the Silver Jedi would expect. Their 'coalition' is also going through internal difficulties, which may a good basis to use insurgents as proxies should the chance present itself. Archangel would be willing to assist in intelligence gathering and shadow incursions," she spoke up at last. "We also have our own intelligence network and units that could assist in these tasks." HRDs and Stecher wasp droids were useful for guerilla operations, assassination and spying.

 

[Velok the Younger]

[member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Darth Ignus"]


"Your organization's assistance will be invaluable," Velok said to Enyo, still nodding at what Ignus had said. "As you can tell, we're at something of a knowledge deficit when it comes to hard intelligence on Coalition protocols, assets, positioning, and intentions. We intend to rectify that deficit."

He stood and navigated around the bulky sleen to take up a holopointer. His big claws fiddled with the controls, triggering brackets and other visual indicators across the map. "Ladies, gentlemen, here's what I propose. A standard military-grade, Fringe-surplus Ranger transceiver can monitor traffic and communications across a radius of one hundred light-years. That distance is too minimal to cover multiple worlds essentially anywhere in the Stygian Caldera. Even Athiss to Ziost is several hundred light-years. Centralized monitoring is thus impossible, so we need to pick our monitoring points very carefully.

"The Ziost system is the main prize. I have no doubt that the Coalition will sweep it thoroughly. However, if we place Ranger transceivers at the three intersections where Coalition forces haven't yet been spotted, we can monitor a substantial fraction of traffic to Ziost -- all except the direct route from Korriban on the Nache Bhelfia. We can't do much about that. Nicht Ka is probably compromised, and that route will be heavily used and heavily monitored by any sensible Coalition strategist. But the intersections at Ashas Ree, Ch'hodos, and Athiss could provide a large amount of intelligence, even with basic monitoring functionality. I propose that we install old Ranger transceivers near those three systems."

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"We are fortunate in our near silence at the moment. They won't expect our efforts."

Listening posts were the best course of action for the moment. They needed information if they were going to do anything worthwhile to take back the lost Sith territory in the area. Knowing when and where the Coalition acted was essential.

Velok mentioned the use of transceivers to monitor traffic and communications. Minimal footprint, untraceable if done right. They could position them in the system ahead of the advancing Coalition forces, and keep track of what ships moved nearby and where they were headed. Communications could be picked up and deciphered and they could gain the information they desperately needed in order to plan for their future. They would have to act swiftly. The Coalition was becoming more active. Time was most certainly not going to be working in their favor.

"I can fly to Ashas Ree immediately and deploy a transceiver nearby to monitor. That's the closest line to where we think the Coalition has likely advanced, but my ship is decently well armed."

[member="Velok the Younger"] [member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Velok the Younger]

[member="Darth Ignus"]

Velok nodded briskly, and the sleen chirrupped in approval. "Good initiative, Lord Ignus. Also, put your expedition to a double purpose. There are various unstable, tenuous routes into the Stygian Caldera apart from the choke point at Korriban. None of those routes are reliable. It's clear that we'll need to become intimately familiar with those routes in order to even access the Caldera, now that the Coalition holds Korriban. I recommend starting by trying to access Korriz or Nfolgai; I'll see to it that your ship is provided with all necessary navigational information. If you find a reliable path into the Caldera, communicate that information to us as soon as practical. I'll also see to it that the autonomous Ranger transceiver is loaded into your ship.

"If you encounter opposition at Ashas Ree, you may have to go to ground. The hook-end of the Kamat Aegit may be your salvation. It's a dead end, but it could provide cover until help can arrive. Kalsunor and Begeren, to be precise, may offer you sanctuary. I suspect even a thorough Silver Jedi incursion will take a long time to deploy any significant presence to those systems.

"If your mission goes smoothly, Lord Ignus..." Velok smiled tuskily. "...don't be a hero. Leave the Stygian Caldera in the safest possible way, as soon as practical."

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"Velok, please. You honor me with the honorific title, but please, just call me Leos."

He smiled a bit, perfectly calm and genuine. It was a bit on the humorous side, to be quite honest, the fact that Velok continued to refer to him by the Darth title he had chosen for the future. Not that he didn't inwardly enjoy the fact, but it was fun to also chastise the Whiphid a bit for using a title that technically hadn't been earned. It did seem that it was going to be a common thing for him, though, so perhaps Leos should just get used to it.

From within the confine of his robe he pulled a commlink, and made a brief communication with the captain of the Eidolon. He alerted him that they would be receiving navigational data and a Ranger Transceiver shortly, and instructed him to prepare the vessel for a reconnaissance mission, including enough rations and supplies to last for a few weeks should the need arise for such. Traveling into the caldera from a non-established route would, itself, be dangerous, though he suspected the greater danger would come once the transceiver was erected at Ashas Ree.

"Thank you for the assistance. Do not fret for my well-being. I will do what is necessary to get the transceiver into position, tracking my entry data as well, and then I'll back off. We shouldn't have any trouble, but if we do it will be handled in the most appropriate manner available."

He stood from his seat and put his commlink back.

"As soon as I find a path into the Caldera I'll transmit the data so you can place the remaining transceivers."

[member="Velok the Younger"] [member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Velok the Younger]

"You're valuable to us," said Velok, "but you also know our faces and the significance of this mining facility. Trust me: my concern is for our collective well-being, on top of yours. May the Force be with you."

Velok reclaimed his seat and fiddled with the holopointer. The sleen nudged his arm. New displays sprang to life, overlays that added detail to several of the Caldera's worlds.

"Apart from our three monitoring points, there's also the open question of what we should secure, bury, excavate, and otherwise remove before the Coalition moves farther into the Caldera. Kalsunor, for example, has a wealth of silooth genetic diversity. I have no doubt that elements within the Coalition would happily kill every silooth in sight, or torch the ruined academies of Thule or the temples of Ziost or the bountiful mutants of Ch'hodos. Krayiss Two, though largely unknown these days, was once one of the five holy Sith worlds; I believe our associate [member="Grimoire"] has her heart set on that world in the long term. Perhaps some preparatory errands in that direction would be appropriate now. Svolten has rhyolite deposits, crucial for the best kinds of blade alchemy; I've obtained a decent supply, but no harm in stocking up should time permit. For example..." He patted the sleen's head and reached down past the big lizard, rummaging in a bag. He produced several whetstones. "These are one example of what rhyolite can accomplish. My whetstones can fix flaws in Sith swords and temporarily grant a highly durable edge to any solid blade."

He slid whetstones around the table until everyone had one.

"One tiny example of the depth of lore and resources that we need to secure throughout the Caldera, as much as possible. If you have personal objectives, secret assets you want to claim, by all means feel free. Comparing the value of these things is a fool's errand. Time is not our ally: we need to seize what we can, as quickly and efficiently as possible."

[member="Neelig Waawat"] [member="Nyra Mazul"] [member="Calina Ovmar"] [member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Velok the Younger"], [member="Darth Ignus"]


"I will inform Director Skaldi of your interest in cooperation. The Silver Jedi's structure is very opague, but they've converted back to a semi-feudal system with 'Jedi Protectors' overseeing planets, which has diminished their ranks considerably. Their biggest defence contractor, Firemane, has pulled the plug on support. We should be in a position to deliver hard intelligence. Possibly arrange diversions," Enyo said calmly. She probably did not use air quotes, as funny as her imitating the Turian Councillor would be. Archangel had been in a cold war with Firemane, but they knew how to keep a low profile. Moreover, her sister had other concerns now.


After some conversation, Darth Ignus departed on a mission to plant transceivers at Asha Ree. It was a good way to monitor traffic and communications. Minimal footprint, untraceable if done properly. It would be a good way to keep track of Silver Jedi.


There was a risk of detection, but as far as Enyo could assess the Silver Jedi lacked subtlety and were not strong on the counterintelligence front. Most of their campaigns had been straightforward affairs, fighting pirates, zombies, insane cultists and so on. Her eyes darted towards the new holoimages. "I agree we should secure critical assets in the area in advance before the Silver Jedi can mismanage these worlds. The silooth, if they can be controlled, and rhyolite seem worth safeguarding. Krayiss is also the site of a massive Sith library-temple. It may still contain knowledge best kept out of SJO's hands."


There was the added benefit that few of these worlds were well-known. When Jedi - and most Sith - thought of ancient Sith worlds, they focused on the big names such as Korriban, Dromund Kaas, Ziost and perhaps Malachor. Kayriss Two had been a Sith holy world and Ch'hodos the staging ground for Naga Sadow's invasion of the Old Republic, but few bothered with them. "After Primeval fell apart, the Silvers never got around to reclaiming Ziost until they made their move now. If there are still Primeval assets left behind, they could be coopted. Lest we forget, there's Khar Delba and, more pertinently, its moon Khar Shian, the location of Naga Sadow's secret citadel. It is right on the line, but we have no information to indicate the Coalition or Jedi have touched it."

 

[Mia Monroe]

Calina watched the proceedings with an impassive expression, a pen twirling slowly in her hands, pausing on occasion to scrawl a note on the pad before her. Only at the mention of silooth to her expression shift to one of intrigue and she sat forward at the table. "Silooth are renowned for being uncontrollable, they were abandoned on Kalsunor for that very reason. That being said..." she paused. "Such imperfections can be rectified."

She caught the whetstone slid to her, turning it over in her hands. "I will see if Apoleia can extend her reach deeper in the Silvers territory, information from well within its borders would be invaluable to our cause, perhaps create a distraction or two to draw them away from the Caledera and give us a little more time."


She rose from her seat circling the holomap a little. "If I remember correctly there are several temples on Jaguada's moon, might be worth scouting them to see if there is anything left of worth. It being so close the the Coalitions borders it would not surprise me if they reach there next. There is something else that concerns me." She dropped her gaze from the map. "Where the Daragon Trail meets the Gordian reach we hit mandalorian territory, specifically, Clan Rekali. Considering their intense dislike of out kind, would it not be wise to also set up a warning system for any movement along their borders?"

[member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Velok the Younger"] [member="Darth Ignus"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Velok the Younger"] | [member="Darth Ignus"] | [member="Enyo Typhos"] | [member="Calina Ovmar"]
--

A burly clawed hand took hold of the whetstone.

It played with the little thing for a moment. The stone went from one hand to the other and back, it was smelled and the urge to taste it was suppressed immediately. A moment later the Balinaka bodyguard, groomed to perfection and dressed in an immaculate black suit, offered the stone with something akin to pride on his face.

He did good!

Tai Fa stared at the stone for a moment, before his wing swiped over the hands and made the stone disappear into his cloaks.

"The Gordian Reach?" His eyes closed for a moment, pondered and wondered, before he seemingly came to a decision.

"Lived there, I have, for one life." A nod followed soon. "Provide aid... I can."

Most of his family's holdings had been sold, but bits and pieces still remained with him. A warehouse here, a few landing pads there, permits established and maintained across the years for one purpose or the other.

Fa always had wanted to return eventually.

 

[Cato Fett]

The sleen woke out of a brief doze and glacially scratched at an irritant on its throat. The collar. A thin band of old leather with an oil fragrance and studded copper. It kept hitching under an old scar long since healed and was insistently pushing in under a line of scales. It hissed, depositing a line of acrid drool, regarding the Whippid's bulk as he stepped about his pet and upset its afternoon schedule of reptilian sleep. The holoboard and its emitter screens were another annoyance: a section of screened wiring inside the housing had come loose just slightly and was vibrating against a battery. The sleen yawned and slapped a gangly hand over either ear-hole, blotting out the too-subtle ringing.

One natural inclination was to eat the bird. [member="Tai Fa"], grey, slender, petite, a silhouette of smoothed plumage, passively resembled a sleen's favoured dish: swamp quail. Their basket-nests were prized for the dozen or so speckled eggs. Its master on occasion indulged in quail omelets and went so far as to allow his favoured pet to lap the discarded whites and yoke stains. It swept a long, prehensile tongue over its snout, cleaned a nictitating membrane, and crawled in beneath the holoboard. Eventually, a blunt snout poked out, and began licking at the leather of [member="Calina Ovmar"]'s footwear.

(OOC: Because I like being a wall flower. Also, Restricted Tech requirements. Don't mind me.)

[member="Velok the Younger"] [member="Darth Ignus"] [member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

A hand reached to catch the stone as it was slid towards him. It would do no good to allow it to fall to the floor. Turning it over in the palm of his hand, he couldn't help but find himself impressed with the quality of the stone. It would most certainly come in handy with his sword. He hadn't yet built a lightsaber, after all. Time was of the essence here, and while the others would discuss their course of action, he needed to get a move on.

"Good day, lords and ladies. I must make final preparations and be off."

He tossed a glance to the Whiphid.

"Thanks for the stone, Velok."

And with that he would turn to leave, trusting that they would take care of other matters. It was a struggle, though, as he did manage to hear the conversation about Silooth again. The Beast Master in him wanted to stay and discuss how to best handle the creatures, but now was not the time for such things and he wanted to give the continued appearance of strength and devotion to the cause, rather than allow his known desires for creature hoarding to take control of him. That just wouldn't do at all with this bunch. Thus, he left out the door and headed towards the hangar to meet the Eidolon.

When he entered it was plain to see that they were currently loading the Transceiver into the hold. Velok's people were good about keeping their word, it seemed. He entered the vessel and made his way to the bridge.

"Captain, status report?"

"We're loading the transceiver now and have received the telemetry that was promised. It's useful, though incomplete. Penetrating the Caldera from the outside is going to be dangerous even with our hull and shield strength."

"Never said it would be easy," he said before walking over to the navigation officer and looking at the data. "We will enter near Iliabeth on a course that should take us to the Nfolgai system. That's our best bet and will be useful to us in the future."

"Yes, sir. We will make for Iliabeth once the transceiver is loaded."

"Good. I'll be in my quarters."

 

[Matreya]

Damien watched the whetstone as it neared, arching a brow. He had remained silent through the meeting, as he felt no need to include himself, everyone had it covered. But the stones, they peaked his interest. "Velok.." Damien murmured, memory flying now, attempting connect the dots: the name and they were an alchemist..

"The Darkstaff." Damien added, still low volume. There had been rumor of a being, Velok, that had assisted in repairing one of the toughest and most powerful Sith weapons ever. He slowly nodded his head, tapping a finger against the table. A wave of the hand slid the stone back where it had come.

"Thank you but no, i neednt waste your resources on a skill i possess already." Damien stated, "As well, i might as well offer assistance. I have a few means to get to Ziost, as well as friends there. I could position us a safe place for the transceivers you were talking about."

[member="Velok the Younger"]

 

[Velok the Younger]

[member="Damien Daemon"]

Velok snagged the whetstone in on three-clawed hand and tucked it away. His sleen was wandering, but not a problem right now.

"Thank you, Master Daemon," he said. "Any help relative to Ziost can only improve our situation. I fully expect the Jedi to find about half of our listening gear and other assets on Ziost. If they take that planet, they'll sweep it and lock it down like Kaas and Korriban."

He turned to [member="Tai Fa"]. "The Gordian Reach is of interest. Some of you mentioned the Mandalorian Clan Rekali. They control the Reach and a substantial length of the Daragon Trail. We have an opportunity here, another component to use as we see fit. Relations between the Rekalis and the Silver Jedi havr been strained of late. A Coalition fleet recently tried to enter Mandalirian Rekali territory and was turned back. The Daragon Trail between the Mandalorians and the Coalition is potentially contested territory. That means little chance of serious pursuit if we happen to retreat down the Trail, or bait them that way."

 

[Cato Fett]

The whetstone was a curio. The sleen preferred a private salt-lick to itself whenever possible, often dragging out from its cagey hospice to wander its master's galley, raiding and breaking the small plastic shakers left unattended on the only dining table. Perchance the whetstone was another salt-lick. It rounded, pawing claws across the master's broad shin, hissing lowly. Withdrawing, the sleen lounged and picked the errant, fibrous-tough hairs now stuck in matted curls in its knuckles. They appreciated each others company as an extension of convenience. The master threw it scraps and its presence was enough to unnerve whatever rare visitors that bothered with questions.

It looked up and out from beneath the holoboard and balefully regarded the partial semi-circle appraising the gliding light motes. Like phosphor worms, it realized. They bred atop stagnant lily pads amidst mosquito clouds, content to let still, deoxygenated waters cure any worry of feeding fish. One long aglow section of 'worm' detached away from the revolving emitter cloud, festooned with running data columns, names the lizard couldn't read, though it supped on the stale tension and too-warm air recirculating through the conference chamber. ...One of them stank. A mixture of cheese mold, strong onion, and sugar. The sleen retreated back under the dark and attempted to bask in the machine heat radiating off the holoboard's casing.

 

[Olom Grihk]

[member="Velok the Younger"] [member="Damien Daemon"] [member="Tai Fa"] [member="Calina Ovmar"] [member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Cato Fett"]


Needle-like teeth glinted in the room briefly. "Theft isn't a bad option, then. Stealing a few shps from either side in case we need to frame them for a hostile maneuver might not be a bad plan," he said out loud, never looking up from his data-pad. "In addition, it may be wise to consider Serenno. There are some nobles there who have had their power diminish after the fall of the Sith, who would happily embrace us with the proper incentivization." He nodded to Tai Fa with a gesture. "As our well-dressed friend is likely to agree, a dumb aristocrat led by a smart one is an excellent tool. Some of them on Serenno are likely optimal candidates," he siad with a nod. "I'll put out a few feelers with some infochants I knew back in the day."



The diminutive figure fiddled with his staff with one hand, tapping on the pad with the other. He was a shrunken, gruesome little sentient, mutated from his own species' sterile, cloned definition of normalcy by frequent use of the force. Even on Columi, he'd likely be considered a monster. Then again, appearances were the least of his worries. He'd been hiding on Dagobah for too long. The Stih Empire had fallen before he could even scavenge the corpse. Still, this new situation had opportunities. Connections. Power. The Sith could rule, and rule well. This time, he'd dmeosntrate what intelligent Sith looked like. Or he'd get killed. Possibly both.

 

[Nyra Mazul]

Standing around Nyra wondered why she was here. She was a thief, which sort of qualified her, but her methods were much different. She didn't care about artifacts, or about claiming bases, although a safehouse or two would be nice to have. No for Nyra the thrill was the shinies and the rush of obtaining them. Did she have money? Sure. She'd been selling stolen jewels for years. But that wasn't what kept her going. There was a thrill as she moved in for the proverbial, and sometimes literal, kill.

She was a bizarre Sith to be sure. Of course she was always mischievous and when she saw a feathered bird, [member="Tai Fa"], standing a meter tall in the room her mind wandered. With a little effort and some memory of the species she allowed herself to morph. Arms became wings and frame compacted as she shrunk down into the appropriate size. Feathers sprouted from her as toes became talons and clothing fell loosely from her frame.

Stepping out of the husk that was once her outfit she stepped forward and approached the bird. "So," she said fiddling around with a claw on the ground. "Do you peck people, or claw them? I imagine the claw gives you some reach but the peck really gives some nice control."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Olom Grihk"] | [member="Nyra Mazul"] | [member="Velok the Younger"]

Tai listened intently to the other sentients in the room.

Olom received the smallest inclinations of the beak, while the Thirriken pondered on the ramifications of Serenno. It would be a suitable place all things considered, the Dukes of Serenno were respectable individuals - sentients of reputation, wealth and above all dignity. Above all Olom was right when it came to their little pea-brains.

They would be malleable.

"To hide is to live." Fa acknowledged Velok and Olom finally. "In secret we stay among,"

"the Mando'ade."

It was only then that the Thirriken shifted slightly and suddenly noticed the changeling approach. It was quite disconcerting to see Nyra shapeshift from her human form towards his own... troubling as well, to think that she could be anything or anyone, only needing a brief moment to get used to a certain shape.

But they were here in relative trust.

So Tai simply blinked once and then replied. "One is for feeding."

The Avian Sith eyed her intently.

"No more and no less, I stress."

There was a silence after that cadence. Like Fa was wondering how to put the next words into the room without giving away too much, but in truth he had already said too much. There wasn't any way to take it all back and so the Sith would have to press on, to reveal and to teach those who were not part of their culture in the first place.

Such was the ways, was it not?

"Talon claws strike fast."

 

[Nyra Mazul]

[member="Tai Fa"]

Nyra pondered the statement of fact about beaks and claws for the briefest of moments. Really she could turn the beak into a horrid tooted jaw at will so it mattered little how to fight inside. Considering for a moment she thought back to a study she read on supernormal stimuli. There was a reason for her voluptuous human appearance. Nyra remembered reading an article about a certain type of baby birds, they were sort of programmed into believing food came from a beak with a red line and two black dots. A scientist then put a board next to the nest with exaggerated features and the little baby birds went insane. The same princepal drove Nyra to choose her human form even learning to walk in a manner swaying hips to manipulate hip to waist ratio in a way to titillate humanoids. It worked for the most part, but now she had an entirely new psychology and culture to study. With a thought she considered her plumage and decided to study in more detail this species in order to create a better persona for her as a bird.

Rarely having seen an avian fight Nyra flexed a wing threw it into the air. "And these, you can use them for distraction and for strikes as well." Flinging wing about she decided in that moment to study this species for exploitable psychology. "So you have joined our little cohort." If a wry smile could be conveyed by a beak she did as such in that moment. She considered for a moment. "I don't suppose you have use for someone like me?" She flexed the wings again and showed off her colorful plumage.