Cartomantic Deliberations (nothing to see here)

[Kamon Vondiranach]

The Eidolon soon departed the mining facility. With the Transceiver loaded, and a time sensitive task at hand, it could not sit idly by and wait while the others bantered about how their anatomy worked. Leos probably would have left the room at this point if he'd actually been there anyway. Though he did enjoy the study of the anatomy of interesting creatures, purely for scientific purposes, that was largely reserved to non-sentient beings that couldn't talk back. Or, at least, couldn't talk in the way that sentient species did. Even non-sentients had their own way of communicating with him from what he'd come to know.

Leaping into hyperspace, they left the others far behind, making their way towards the Iliabeth system. In his room on the ship he occupied himself with the star charts of the Caldera. Only one way in, controlled by the Coalition. The rest was a no man's land of dangerous gases and debris. Passing through it would be no easy task, even by the standards of present technology. At least he had a vessel with strong shields and a good hull to make the trip in.

His commlink buzzed.

"Yes?"

"Approximately three days to Iliabeth, sir. We'll be flying through Coalition space, but that shouldn't be a problem."

"Thank you, Captain. I'll be in my chambers until we arrive. Please alert me when we do."

"Yes, sir."

He put the commlink away and went back to studying the charts. There was plenty of time to plot a logical course. He'd let the Force guide him. He was confident it wouldn't steer him wrong.

 

[Cato Fett]

Many voices still, and the smell of ripe cheese and stale onion hadn't abated. The sleen finally loosed a low, phlegmatic gurgle and paced out from underneath the holo-emitter. Defeat wasn't an evolutionary hardwire instinct but it understood, on a basic and amorphous level, when to 'call it a day'. Its serpentine bulk beat a slow trail towards a far, darker corner of the makeshift briefing hall. Its underbelly slid dryly over someone's shoes. Besides body odour, a cool musk wafted from scent glands running the length of the sleen's spine, a territorial measure. If it was to be caged until its master's say so, it opted to stake a land claim. The sleen curled round into a wound ball, until it a was low tangle of tale and limbs, save for a single, balefully jet eye and forked pink tongue tasting at the floor. Drowsiness kicked in. It hadn't supped in seven hours. The sleen watched for its master, the shaggy darkness outlined by the whiphid, and waited for its neglected meal.

...The visual of two narrow avians avidly chatting didn't help. It ignored a belly 'pop' and tried, once more, to settle into a nap. A length of tail waved to and fro, like the end of a bullwhip.

 

[Velok the Younger]

[member="Olom Grihk"] [member="Nyra Mazul"] [member="Tai Fa"] [member="Darth Ignus"] [member="Cato Fett"] [member="Damien Daemon"] [member="Calina Ovmar"] [member="Neelig Waawat"] [member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Grimoire"]

"So we're all going to be quite busy, then. You've all brought up what I consider to be excellent approaches. Transceivers at major junctions and at Ziost; removal of special assets ahead of the Coalition advance; closer examination of the Gordian Reach; opportunities for confusion between the Coalition and the Mandalorians; ship theft for false flag operations; inroads on Serenno. We have plenty of material to work with in support of the larger goal. At this stage, our plan is like the opening stages of a dejarik match: it could go in any direction. What matters is getting as many pieces in advantageous positions as possible, so we're able to adjust and pick the correct approach when the moment strikes. And I suspect it will strike in the medium term. I doubt we're talking about a wait of years, though I'm comfortable with taking that long to plan exactly the right move.

"I may have called this meeting, but I have no desire to attempt to boss you around. That would be foolish on my part. We're here as equals. Of the elements we've discussed, or in any direction you feel will support these objectives, do as you will. Let's stay in touch as much as possible."

His eyes tracked the sleen, and what might have been a fond smile flitted across his tusked face.

"One final note: this facility is fine for intermittent low-profile use, but we'll need other locations where we can gather forces and so forth, and be closer to the Stygian Caldera. Corbos might be useful, and there are other options. Thoughts?"

 

[Carach]

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

The Thirriken cooed a touch and no more than that.

It was an instinctive response to the beginning of a ritual that was imprinted in his very genes, but it took less than half a second to find his center and solidify it once again. Tai was many things; a gentlebird, a spirtualist, a Sith, but a... lover? No, Fa had never been much for that kind of pursuits.

His scholarly pursuits had always taken the first, second and fourth place. Instead of a response, Nyra simply received an inclination of his beak, as the final acknowledgement - right before Velok once again took the table, metaphorically.

"Nearby our target.
We must find ourselves with haste.
Rains of acid fire."

Fa nodded once in punctuation.

"Go there we could, to​

Vjun, its spirit filled with dread
Fair paths, equal goal."

 

[Nyra Mazul]

Having feathers was neat. Nyra moved about the room in what could best be described as a prancing throwing feathers here and there and showing off plumage. As she did she would smack into Velok with wing and waddle around on the two tiny legs that birds counted as theirs. They were crappy mobility devices, yet for a creature so light and whose main mode was flight, it made sense. Then again... could peacocks fly? Nyra started to flap her new wings a little before realizing that would be a poor test. She could fly even if his species didn't, her transformation didn't need to be exact to the creature she was copying.

"So we birds can go to Vjun," Nyra spoke up. "Me and Def poetry jam can go there and set up something." Nyra put her hands together, there was artifacts and things to be sold there which someone with a little ingenuity could acquire and sell for a price. "We could set up a listening post, something hidden in the wilderness to monitor the Jedi."

Velok would no doubt know her true motives, but the Whiphid was discreet. Besides Velok's own plans included the addition of a listening posts and secret bases being established before the Silver Jedi Order took planets. A good foothold inside of their space. Nyra herself appreciated the want and need for good safe houses.

[member="Tai Fa"] [member="Velok the Younger"] [member="Cato Fett"] [member="Darth Ignus"]

 

[Cato Fett]

The sleen took a lazy bite at Nyra's passing twiggy ankle. Missed. This bird, for its sophisticated pantomime mimicry, smelled off to it. Like the trace sweat glands, flesh scent, and plastic feather keratin were too spot on, unsullied by physical stresses that eventually broke down those physiological pieces. It hissed softly, lapping at air and at the oily decking under its scale bulk. Boredom was fetching lethargy. If the Master concluded his moot soon, he could carry his pet back aboard their shared vessel. It would crawl away to its lair yanked and clawed into an empty module recess in the cockpit and wait for meal time. The sound of developed vocal chords was now another annoying buzz. The sleen yawned and licked at curled lines of viciously ripping teeth.

[member="Nyra Mazul"] [member="Tai Fa"] [member="Velok the Younger"]

 

[Carach]

[member="Nyra Mazul"]

"Two may travel fast.​

Decided it has been, then.​

To Vjun, we will go."​

Tai Fa fluttered gracefully to the ground, his thin toes landing first and making a clicking sound as they toe-towed across the durasteel floor. He gathered his robe closely to himself, his beak inclining slightly to relay his respect for the fellow assemble of Sith, before waiting patiently at the doorway for Nyra to follow him and his ursine bodyguard.

"One does not know yet,​

the name by which you go now,​

An exchange suits well."​

Tick, tick, tick, THUNK, tick, tick, THUNK. The sound of their traversal went - two light-stepped and one heavy, like a rumble of earth moving about. There was a reason why Tai Fa employed the Balinaka as his personal guards and enforcers, some of their brethren looked dopey, but once away from their homeland... once properly outfitted and groomed?

They were strong, could see well in the dark and in armor they were something to behold.

Fa was well aware that his physical appearance was not all that intimidating- and sometimes, he could not simply show his opponents the error of their thinking, because he needed them alive.

 

[Nyra Mazul]

[member="Tai Fa"] was an amusing little bird, and Nyra enjoyed him pretty thoroughly. She followed the bird and, as she walked through the doorway, transformed. She changed back into her human form and stretched out little, provocatively, to the humanoids in the room. Off to Vjun they go. The bird had several bodyguards which Nyra sized up as pure muscle. Nyra knew the type. Guards were often picked, in Nyra's estimation, for the density of bone in their head. "There is a ship waiting." She quirked a brow considering the situation.

"We can go and set up our little listening post. Maybe find some artifacts. We can research on the way yes?" And maybe Nyra could convince the bird to talk like a person. That was a goal. Nyra giggled a little as she neared the ship. It was a mid sized vessel but it suited their needs. "It shouldn't take us long to get there."

True enough, in a short hour they would be on their way. Cargo was already being piled onto the ship by droids. There was communications gear and other equipment along with labor and technical droids capable of operating them remotely without the need to assign personnel to the site.