Faction Umbara Expedition (DH)

[Serenai Vaelthith “Sera Vale”]

Location: Veradune, Mid Rim
Time: Late evening

Serenai arrived twenty minutes early. The cantina was half full, the hum of conversation just loud enough to drown thought but quiet enough to listen if one knew how. She took the corner booth, back to the wall, the light low enough to hide her eyes.

A vapor pen hung at the corner of her mouth as she lit it, the faint shimmer of smoke mixing with the smell of old spice and machinery. She ordered a Corellian whiskey neat and let the glass rest untouched for a while, watching the door.

Her contact had said there were a few people interested in what she carried. A map, old and fragile, charting a tomb on Umbara. The notes that came with it hinted at Sith sorcery buried deep beneath the surface. Dangerous work, but that was the sort she found hardest to resist.

She took a slow sip, the burn grounding her. All that was left was to wait and see who would answer the whisper.

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Ra settled into the booth with deliberate calm, letting the dim light wash over her face without giving anything away. Her eyes scanned the room once, memorizing the exits, the patrons, and the subtle shifts in posture that betrayed attention or unease.

She exhaled slowly, letting the air carry a faint trace of her presence without drawing unnecessary notice. "You carry danger," she said finally, voice low and even, each word measured. "I have learned to respect what cannot be controlled—and to fear what can."

Her gaze lingered for a heartbeat longer, assessing, calculating. "I will hear what you have to offer. Nothing more. And nothing less. Surprises are… poorly tolerated."

A pause, calm but deliberate, as if waiting not just for words but for intent. In that stillness, Ra's patience spoke louder than any tone could.

Serenai Vaelthith “Sera Vale”

 

[Kairi Shaltar]

Ra'a'mah Serenai Vaelthith “Sera Vale”

SIlent movement, wisps of smoke going against the breeze as she held herself up for a moment. Slipping under the door of the room and going up into the ceiling. To gather for a moment and spread with the rest of the smoke around. A low lit and smokey room, it even she guessed smelled of wines and cheap perfumes... but she wasn't taking a midnight train. Instead the scout had been sent to search and to observe. She looked for who she was supposed to find and came down hanging from the ceiling for a moment when she looked at the woman and then there was another one. Her body taking shape and form from the fireless smoke around the room to fill in and her eyes were glowing. "I would love to hear more."

 

[Serenai Vaelthith “Sera Vale”]

Ra'a'mah Kairi Shaltar

As Ra settled into the booth, Serenai gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. When the smoke began to fill in, her eyes widened for only a heartbeat before she masked the reaction with a slow sip from her glass, letting the burn pull her focus back.

"Thank you for joining me. The expedition itself should be," she paused, the faintest trace of a smile touching her voice, "mostly dull. But if I expected it to stay that way, I would not have looked for others willing to get their hands dirty. Sith tombs that have remained sealed tend to have... little surprises."

A mirthless laugh slipped out, barely audible above the hum of music and quiet conversation. "As I’m sure you know, my name is Sera Vale, and this is my specialty: finding things long lost. However, where the Force is concerned, as is typical with these sorts of jobs, I prefer to have one or two around who can deal with those surprises."

She took a long draw from her vapor pen, the faint glow briefly lighting her face. Her eyes flicked around the room, noting anyone listening a little too closely. "If that sounds acceptable to you, we can discuss my price. Though before we do," her tone remained even, inquisitive but measured, "I would like to know the names of those I’m sharing a table with."

Leaning back slightly, her right hand rested on her thigh while her left held the drink near her face, a trace of coiled stillness in her arm beneath the relaxed posture. Vapor drifted between them as she waited for their reply.