Private Speak of the Devil

[Colette]

Sela Basran / Romi Jade / Ala Quin / Vodet / Lorn Reingard / Zark San Tekka / Lily Decoria

Colette’s eyes remained fixed on the imagery from the hologram at the center of the Council Chamber. An impossibly large man, a hulk by all means, sitting on a tiny little chair in the middle of a busy corner at the then on-going exposition. Usually, this was not particularly interesting, but given who the man was it was worse than Colette even knew how to handle.

They hadn’t even had the chance to follow through on their meetings with either Quinn or the chancellor yet. It was as if the Force itself was laughing at them. Carnifex in the streets of Naboo, drinking tea and being polite.

There were no names attached to the others in the photograph. It sort of didn’t matter much compared to the center piece, or at least that was what Colette thought of the whole thing.

Regardless, bad omen or not it would be smart of them to have some sort of plan in mind for how to even react.

“The Sith are getting bold.” Colette leaned forward in her seat and began to rub at her eyebrows. “I mean, how do we approach this? I’m not even sure what Carnifex wanted to accomplish here. Should we shore up our defenses and get more guards, or...?”

 

[Vodet]

One of the Padawans had come out to fetch him. He was requested to report to the Council for a meeting. And this was his few weeks back on Kattada. As the younger Mon Calamari Jedi presented the request, Vodet nodded and made his way back to the surface, where his speeder was awaiting. Making it to the surface and the shore, Vodet the Yinchorri stepped from the sea, a bundle of line in one finned hand, with several various pelagics dangling, and in the other, a spear gun. An archaic form of hunting, and one he didn’t really need to do, but he had always done his best to make time to prepare raw-fish-and-rice dishes for the younger Jedi and explorers who stop by the Temple. Placing them in the cooler in his speeder, he and the Padawan made their way back to the Kattada Temple.

After sending the Mon Calamari away to the kitchens, with the direction of how to properly store the fish, Vodet found his seat and his hologram joined the Council chambers.

The briefing was quick. Darth Carnifex in the streets of Naboo. The Yinchorri was listening, but also munching on a store of jellies that he had kept around for post-hunts.

“Their appearances within the borders of the Republic should be handled by the Republic as well. But we know the Sith, and what they’re capable of. I agree with Colette, something needs to be done. I do not have any great answer. Kattada has an open door policy, rule of navigation, where we help those in need, however, very rarely do Sith actively come calling…”

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Tags: Colette | Vodet​

Lorn shifted in his seat, his eyes locked on the hologram. The image of the massive Sith Lord sitting casually on a Naboo street corner was ludicrous. He had never met Carnifex, but even through the blue flicker of the projection, a cold dread seeped into the chamber.

"He is testing us," Lorn interjected. "He is seeing what he can get away with. It is a mockery of our position, especially as the Republic expands and our own influence wanes."

He watched Colette rub her temples and Vodet snack on his jellies through the hologram. The casual nature of the Sith's appearance was meant to unnerve them, to make their formal defenses and Jedi traditions look obsolete. If a monster could drink tea in the heart of the Mid-Rim without a finger being raised, the Republic's sense of security was an illusion.

"We need to be more present," Lorn continued, leaning toward the center of the table. "We should be at these events throughout the Mid-Rim to assert protection over the people and keep them familiar with the Light. If we remain tucked away in our temples, we leave a vacuum that the Sith are clearly happy to fill."

Lorn looked at the others, his mind already calculating the logistics of a mobilized Order. Shoring up defenses was a start, but it was reactive. They needed to move first, be proactive. The long-delayed diplomatic channels were no longer a luxury they could put off.

"The meeting with the Senate must happen soon. We need to ensure they have our backs before Carnifex decides to do more than just sit in a chair. If we don't bridge the gap with the Chancellor soon, we will be facing the dark alone."

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Council Chambers
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Arwr Da, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed)
Tag: Colette | Vodet | Lorn Reingard

Lily sighed, "we are fortunate that he did not attempt to fight or create any collateral damage at the event." The risk to civilian lives was high at events like this one, Lily's concern was towards them, the ones who did not have the abilities to defend themselves. "We need to be cautious, while I do not disagree with having more presence at events like this one. I do think we need to act cautiously. It was lucky things did not get worse this time, but future confrontations could have us facing a very high civilian deaths."

Looking at the others, she hoped that they would understand where she was coming from. Not that Carnifex was one to be left to his own devices but more that the very powerful and very dangerous Sith Lord could cause a lot of death and destruction and the Jedi wouldn't even be able to arrest him because he disappeared somehow. The man was tricky and difficult to pin down. "I also agree with Master Reingard in that we should bridge the gap that has formed between ourselves and the senate. Especially the chancellor. We need to show that we are here and we want to handle the Sith."

"We could also coordinate with the military leaders and find out how he got through our security measures and what can be done to prevent this in the future. Seeking out preventative measures is the best approach, in my opinion now."