False Flag: As I Have Foreseen

[Velok the Younger]

TION TRADE NEXUS
SILVER JEDI TERRITORY

Four kilometres across, surrounded by lesser trade platforms, the Nexus still managed to feel claustrophobic. To Velok, at any rate: like most stations and ships, the Nexus had been built for those of humanoid proportion. He could walk at ease in the promenades and cargo halls, but hunched uncomfortably in large portions of the mobile trade station. With a bit of luck and bribery, though, he'd secured a comfortable meeting room with a holosimulated view of the outside stars. Velok sat down at one end of the manta-shaped table, in a large and customized chair. Bankrolling the liberation of the Stygian Caldera might have wiped out most of his operational assets, but he could still spring for a decent chair. That was the only thing in sight that he'd bought; the rest of this office space was leased under a false name. Ostensibly, he was here as bodyguard to a Shard businessman -- in reality, a bland protocol droid sitting in the corner.

He'd asked [member="Nyra Mazul"] to join him. They had a good deal to talk about.

 

[Nyra Mazul]

Nyra had never been to the Tion Trade Nexus. [member="Danger Arceneau"] and Santhe security, and all the other corporations with interest in the station kept too tight a ship. She was sure that she'd be able to get away with any crime she would comit but perhaps not cleanly. Nyra might be a risk taker but the idea of looking over her shoulder for the rest of her days was less than appealing. [member="Velok the Younger"] was already there sitting and pretending to be the bodyguard of a shard. The idea made Nyra laugh, but she played along. Transforming herself into a proper business woman with a nice formal suit she arrived at the station and made her way to the meeting place.

Sitting across from the whiphid Nyra considered the last time they had met. Together they had helped to bankroll a conflict in the Stygian Caldera with much of Nyra's wealth from her previous jobs going towards hiring archangel and other assets. "So we meet again," she said with a playful smile. She liked Velok. Not enough to lend him money but liked him nonetheless. "This is a much nicer place than last time we met." Of course she was talking to the droid instead of Velok. That was the cover was it not? Might as well keep up appearances and maybe get a baritone wuff wuff laugh from the whiphid, or else a displeased and disgruntled wruff wruff from him. "It's nice to not that we don't always have to meet in dusty places."

 

[Velok the Younger]

[member="Nyra Mazul"]

A mousy, clean-cut team -- two Caamasi and a Klatoonian -- swept the room for listening and monitoring devices, then left without a word. The protocol droid deactivated. Velok shrugged expansively. "I can't help but agree. Interesting as the tomb was -- I handed it off to Ignus, by the way, as a token for his assistance -- I prefer some degree of comfort in my old age."

He still wore the furred garb of a Whiphid mercenary, itchy but useful in its way. A glance at the climate controls dialed the temperature down a couple of degrees.

"As we've discussed, our best bet at freedom to operate is to play the Mandalorians off against the Silver Jedi. To that end, I've dispatched Lykos, Abyss, and Vizios to Trandosha, in the same system as Mandalorian-held Kashyyyk. They'll impersonate two Jedi and a Mandalorian. On the border, they'll make a scene consistent with Jedi arresting a Mandalorian for unspecified crimes. Meanwhile, I've put together a comprehensive and truthful file indicating that Matsu Ike is a secret Sith Lord. Through two intermediaries, I've sent it to the Mandalorian Alor'e Council.

"You're the subtler of us. How do you feel we can next approach instigating the Mandalorians and Silver Jedi to go to war?"

 

[Nyra Mazul]

Nyra sighed a little sigh of relief and looked to Velok. "I like meeting here, despite the one disadvantage of the possibility of there being listening devices." There was a relief at the ability to actually speak to the whiphid instead of the wittless droid. "Still there is a number of nice restaurants and that surely makes up for the minor inconvenience."

With that she considered for a moment what the whiphid had said. "The evidence against Matsu Ike might go less than you think. The galaxy has been aware of her rather perfidious nature for some time and yet nothing has been done about it. As for the rest. It's a good start."

Biting her lip she thought for a moment. "Better than a false flag is trying to provoke actual action from one party against the other. Stupidity has often been used to do that. Although hopefully your little communique about Matsu being a secret sith would stir up things."

Biting her lip and wiggling her nose, two expressions she'd seen humans do when thinking, she considered the situation. "If we try to do too much, especially after your letter, we'd be inviting discovery. I don't know much about Mandalorians save what I see in the holodramas but what if we could provoke action through proxies? We must have some corporate contacts willing to put out contracts on competitors. And perhaps those competitors have connection to the Silver Jedi? It wouldn't be an unreasonable thing to then provoke an attack leaving little or no trace to us."

[member="Velok the Younger"]

 

[Velok the Younger]

[member="Nyra Mazul"]

"Your thoughts, hopes, and estimates of probability echo mine." Velok's eyes narrowed in thought. "I keep coming back to the corporate angle as well. I have connections with Sasha Santhe of Santhe/Sienar, who signed a contract with the Silver Jedi leadership -- a contract they've broken repeatedly, to the benefit of Sasori. I hesitate to involve Sasha, as she is...capricious. I admit I hadn't thought of corporate scenarios beyond the Sienar angle.

"But you're speaking specifically, or at least mainly, of Silver-associated corporations who could be induced to prod Mandalorian interests. These aren't areas of expertise for me, but I strongly suspect we could find something around Roche, Obredaan, or other cortosis and phrik locations, many of which are in or around Mandalorian territory. Perhaps something in the fast food field, oddly enough: I'm told there's quite a power struggle in the offing."

 

[Nyra Mazul]

[member="Velok the Younger"]

Nyra seemed less than convinced at the idea of fast food when Velok brought it up. For a moment she thought that the large warhog like alien was having a laugh at her expense. She examined his features and stared at him for a moment. She didn't think he was the type to joke in a situation such as this, it went against everything she knew about him and her own experiences with him. Narrowing eyes she came to a single conclusion... he was serious. Fast food... fething fast food wars...

Then again she didn't know much about corporations and the politics surrounding them. All she knew was that companies were vicious entities in the galaxy willing to go to various lengths to protect their property and technologies. "It's an idea," she replied finally. "In truth I don't know much about the corporate scene. It's not really my thing. You probably have your tusk in more things like that if you know Sasha Santhe." Considering the situation she then asked, "Tell me about this fast food conflict? That seems rather enticing."