We happy few

[Gryylarc]

Gryylarc snarled deep in his chest and throat, and the turbolift door opened. Instead of a Sith-friendly environment, he found himself in a brightly-lit conference room. At least the light was matte, not sharp, but he grunted anyway. A high-tech chair creaked under his weight. He swiped his deactivated lightstaff through a hologram harmlessly.

If the Elder wanted him here, so be it. If the Elder wanted him to meet the other agents and acolytes - again, so be it. For all the power he'd uncovered, both alone and under instruction, Gryylarc knew his limits and knew his role.

That didn't mean he had to like attending meetings. On the plus side, though, the Elder only recruited people who fit his worldview and priorities. People who understood that the modern Sith, by and large, sacrificed courage and initiative out of fear of jeopardizing the worlds and honours and riches and toys they had accumulated.

Bored, Gryylarc began tracing arcane patterns on the long table with an alchemized claw. Tiny metal shavings scattered everywhere like frightened insects.

 

[Jahn Kerloth]

Jahn walked into the bright conference room and was greeted by the screech of metal. He looked over through sunglassed eyes to spot an albino wookiee, digging patterns into the table. He wanted to say that albino wookiees were supposed to be cursed, but thought better of bringing it up. Jahn decided to sit near the wookiee, perhaps a chair between them. Close enough to talk, but not close enough to swing a fist. At least for him, the wookiee had some reach. Not to mention what he could do with the lean of a torso or the activation of a lightsaber. He looked over at the wookiee for a moment, as if it starting a little small talk was the polite thing to do.

"Dammit." The Alchemist cursed, then began to look around, spotting a glass and beginning to bring it in front of him using the Force. Perhaps the wookiee had growled at this point, or perhaps not, but Jahn would continue regardless. He'd pull a small box out of his jacket, then put a few seemingly random spices into the glass. He'd then pull out a flask, pour what smelled to be some sort of alcohol, then add a droplet of blood. The blood would slowly stain the mixture red, and Jahn closed his eyes, held the glass, and began slowly reworking the contents into a alchemical brew. The process would take perhaps a minute, then he would take a drink.

"Now, if I did that right." Jahn said. "I should be able to understand you now." He said. It was an attempt to give him an inkling of the Force Ability "Comprehend Languages". He hoped it would work, as he really only basic and huttuese.

[member="Gryylarc"]

 

[Gryylarc]

[member="Jahn Kerloth"]

Gryylarc finished his little carvings and retracted his claw, watching the human do his extemporaneous alchemy. The Elder had introduced Gryylarc to those arts, but the relationship had never gone past introduction. Technical details, carving, artistry -- he knew those, but not as they applied to mixing fussy little spells and potions and trinkets. The process still earned his curiosity, especially when the human explained the point of the whole affair. Some perverse and grumpy part of Gryylarc wanted to make a rude gesture and ask if the human found it comprehensible.

<<Now that's a useful trick,>> he said in Shyriiwook. <<And a respectable way to make the effort. I was expecting the Elder's other servants to be more...humanocentric.>>

The long term -- sixteen syllables in Shyriiwook -- was a test of the language-comprehension alchemy. Gryylarc raised an eyebrow in question.

 

[Jahn Kerloth]

<<Now that's an interesting skill.>> The wookiee said. Jahn's lips curled just a little. His ad-libbed potion worked. He hoped the wookiee didn't notice. Who was he kidding, the wookiee probably noticed. <<And a kind way to work.>> Jahn's brow furrowed. There were probably some issues. <<I was thinking the Ancients servants would be more humanist.>> The wookiees brow raised. He was testing him. Humanist didn't make any sense given the context. Human? Humano-supremacist! That was it.


"Eh, that stuff is missing the point. I don't know how the Sith became such a human club, but it should be about survival of the fittest." He said, neglecting to mention his last girlfriend was a trandoshan. "So you haven't met any of them either? Is this just supposed to be a meet and greet?" There was a slight tone of derision in his voice. He didn't mind making time for the Elder, but he had hoped there was an agenda.

[member="Gryylarc"]

 

[Gryylarc]

[member="Jahn Kerloth"]

Gryylarc offered a massive, sharp-toothed grin. Based on Jahn's shifting facial expressions, this was going to get fun.

<<Like attracts like. Humans have dominated the political affairs and socioeconomic opportunities of the galaxy for more than two hundred centuries, like climbers who start closer to the top of the tree. This is why I appreciate the Elder's approach -- the same principle you mentioned just now. And why I am hopeful that this meeting's other attendants are both worthy and interesting. I have great contempt for meetings.>>

His alchemical claw scratched another symbol on the metal table. He glanced at a holoprojector built into said table.

<<Perhaps the Elder will give us a task beyond...socialization.>>

 

[Anaximander]

[member="Gryylarc"] [member="Jahn Kerloth"]

The mechanical doors hissed as they separated when Anaximander stepped into the conference room. She wore her usual civilian attire, a red tunic with a long cape that flowed from the seams where her sleeve meet her shoulder. Her hair was done up in a braid and bun, and her face wore a grim scowl.

She strolled past the silver furred wookie and the opining alchemist to stand behind her seat. She drew in a deep breath and tapped her fingers on the silver metal frame of the dark cushioned seats of the conference table. Her black gloved fingers rhythmically tapped and counted the seconds that the other members of the Elder's cohort wasted.

"Are you done?" Anaximander hissed while leveling her golden eyes at the alchemist.

"Because I would like to start this meeting," she said, continuing under her breath as she sat down, "If you could call this such."

Once seated, she clasped her hands together and rested them the table.

"I supposed greetings are in order," she said. "In his infinite dark wisdom, the Elder has recruited us all for this important task and yet didn't see fit to gather us prior hand."

"I am Anaximander," she said, "I come from the Unknown Regions, and the Elder chose me as today's...chaperone." Anaximander stretched a thin smirk with the last word as she passed her golden gaze from the alchemist to the wookie.

 

[Keirra]

Kierra lay flat on Balthazar’s back, arms looped around his thick scaled neck as they ascended in the turbolift. He’d made the staff of the building nervous and for that he deserved all the attention she could afford to give him. His thick black tongue flicked outwards as the doors opened, tasting the room. Old dog...no...something furry...a wookie! Someone that stank of chemicals both sweet and bitter….and another that smelt of leather... and ambition.

Bathazar walked forward at her silent command, great claws clicking on the floor, tail thumping. Keirra sat up and then stood on his back as they approached the table, stepping neatly onto it with dirty toes, she padded along the conference tables length, and flopped neatly cross legged when she was close enough to the others, the holoprojector behind her.

Chairs scattered in her wake as the dwarf krayt followed beneath the table, knocking them every which way. Bright green eyes fixed on the wookie and she tilted her head. Humanoids were not new to her, she knew what they looked like when they were torn apart, but the silver beast fascinated her.

"I'm Kierra." she said, still staring with her head cocked.

[member="Anaximander"] [member="Gryylarc"] [member="Jahn Kerloth"]

 

[Jahn Kerloth]

<<Just like pulling.>> The wookiee began, and Jahn quickly downed the rest of his concoction. <<For over two hundred years, men have dominated the political affairs and socio-economic potential of the galaxy, as climbers are getting closer to the top of the tree. I therefore appreciate the elders' approach - the same principle you mentioned. And I hope the other participants in the meeting deserve and care about them. I have great disdain for the seats.>> The wookiee growled. Jahn nodded as he mentioned the other participants. While he didn't think that was exactly what the beast said, he figured it was close enough. He had no idea what 'seats' mean though.

<<Perhaps the Ancient will allow us to do something more than . . . fraternize.>>

"I sure hope so." Jahn replied, just as a mechanical hiss signaled the entrance of another Sith. The woman had an air of seriousness about her, no, more than that. Her presence demanded seriousness, as if every moment was of utmost importance.

"Are you done?" The woman said, her eyes leveled at Jahn's face. He chuckled, gave a smile, then waved his hands to signal her to continue. She continued on, conveying the meaning of the meeting. An interesting power play, claiming or leveraging a closer connection with the Elder. This 'Anaximander' would all sorts of fun to deal with, and ultimately ruin. They were then joined by a pink-skinned woman riding what looked to be a reptilian beast. Rather than give a speech as the other woman she merely gave her name and stared at the wookiee.

"Jahn." The alchemist gave his name and naught else, before looking at the wookiee. Perhaps they'd take it as his name, or a show of his boredom with a 'yawn'. Either way, he couldn't wait to get under Anaximander's skin.

[member="Gryylarc"] [member="Anaximander"] [member="Keirra"]

 

[Gryylarc]

[member="Keirra"] [member="Anaximander"] [member="Jahn Kerloth"]

Gryylarc chuckle-snarled in genuine amusement. That feeling lasted only moments. He eyed the two young human females, one of whom came with peremptory privilege attached, and the other riding a small krayt dragon. Well, small for a krayt dragon, anyway: its drumsticks would weigh as much as some adult humans. His stomach rumbled. "Grrryylarrrrc," he said, by way of introduction, to round out the set. His unnaturally sharp forefinger claw inscribed another rune on the metal table.

And froze as, down the table, the holoprojector activated.

The transmission was small but life-size: in person, the Elder came up to Gryylarc's knee. The twisted little alien's ears twitched. "Abuse the furniture you must not, Gryylarc. Talked about this we have." The Elder's eyes narrowed and looked over the remainder of the group. "Your next objectives, Gryylarc has; the meeting, Anaximander will oversee. Work together you will, from time to time. An alternative there is not. Allies you must become, not only rivals."

A latch clicked inside the table in front of Gryylarc's stomach. As he removed a set of what looked like hard-copy files, the holographic transmission ended. Apparently the Elder didn't feel like chatting. Gryylarc tossed the files around the table, each labeled by name.

 

[Keirra]

Kierra bared her teeth as the wookie spoke his name. “Grryyylarrrc.” she repeated with a grin.

The voice of the elder widened the grin on her face and she spun on the tabletop to face him, chairs scattered further as her excitement fed through to Balthazar, of soft deep hiss echoing at their feet. He’d promised her power, he’d promised her she would feast upon the flesh of thousands and he’d promised her all the pets she could gather.

Of course, there was a price for this promise, but she cared little.

She spun around again with a tiny giggle and gave the other two a moment of attention, committing their faces to memory and reminding herself that these ones were not to kill. She looked back at Gryylarc, she’d have to be patient to find out what barbecue wookie tasted like.

The file slid towards her and all glee dropped from her expression and she started down at it, recognising the scribbles that everyone told her were words etched into paper.

Balthazar chose this moment to shove his head up from under the table onto Anax’s lap, his long black tongue flicking up towards her chin. “That’s Balthazar.” she said smiling. “He likes the taste of humanoids. Not his favourite though.”

She still didn’t pick up the file.

[member="Gryylarc"] [member="Jahn Kerloth"] [member="Anaximander"]

 

[Asher]

"Ludwig." An old bearded man at the corner of the table said and brushed off the furred collars of his jacket. The man wasn't much of a speaker, not much of an actor. At least not anymore. His life much like everyone else's would be void in the end, and the causes, and the beliefs, and the purpose of their actions would all be forgotten. Ludwig had seen enough come and go to understand that the only constant in the galaxy was that there were no constants. Empires rose and fell along with the Republics that stood up to the challenge of facing them. Putting his morals aside, delving into the part of himself that he had been raised to question as a child had helped shape him into the old man he was today with just about enough wounds and scars to show for it. His presence here was as much of a mystery to him as it was to the rest but in the end the sum of a thought that had crossed the mind men and women of his stature on the regular:

Where do I go from here?

He had seen the front lines, seen the works as generals turned soldiers into calculus in distant backrooms and offices. His legacy as a soldier was as worn down as he was. Looking over at the others Archer wouldn't give them any reaction that would make his intentions for being in this room any clearer. He liked to keep to himself, focus on himself, and in the end improve only upon himself. The world was not kind to the compassionate or those that let emotions and passions get the better of them. He had seen it in the fields of battle. A focused mind, an objective thinking mind, now that was what kept you alive. Anything else was a lie that people told themselves to find comfort for their meaningless existence.

Archer managed to rise out of his seat with the help of his cane to grab the file that was sent his way. Firm hands grasped onto the folder's surface before he gently leaned back into his seat again.

[member="Keirra"] // [member="Gryylarc"] // [member="Jahn Kerloth"] // [member="Anaximander"]

 

[Anaximander]

Keirra // Gryylarc // Jahn Kerloth // [member="Archer Ludwig"]

Anaximander watched the feral child and her miniature krayt dragon enter the conference room. Her eyes narrowed and continued to eye the two as the beast crawled beneath the table and the child tucked herself into a seat. She announced herself as "Keirra". Anaximander's lip twitched at the ends into a floundering smile.

Elder's mercy, what is that. Her mind fumed. Then the alchemist replied with a smirk and stare, calling himself Jahn. While the wookie growled his name, or a sound, Anaximander could not tell.

A wookie, a feral child and her beast, a smug alchemist and....? Anaximander turned and looked at the quiet old man sat at the end of the table. Ludwig.

The table's holoprojector interrupted her calculative judging and the image of the Elder materialized in a shimmering blue haze. She watched him with all her attention and passion. She hadn't seen the Elder in years. Plucked from the Unknown Regions and trained by him during his hermit wanderings in the vast expanse of the uncharted realms, she had been left by herself after he knighted her. Left to fend for herself, she carved out a bloody path for herself in the outer rim afterwards. She worked for syndicates and pursued her own illicit campaigns.

But, now she had returned to his fold, stronger and better than before. I will fullfill your will, my master.

The hologram ended and before her was passed a packet. Ah yes, the dossiers. She studied. So this was the "task" you mentioned I would help facilitate with....our brothers and sisters. Anaximander hesitated to use such a familiar term. Being alone all her life she found the words to spoil and rot in her head. She reached for the dossier, but, instead was greeted with the heavy sensation of something overwhelming laying itself on her lap.

Here eyes popped wide open and her once stoic and cold expression gave way to irritated shock. She bolted her head down and saw the head of a krayt dargon tucked into her lap and stomach flicking its tongue at her. Anaximander's upper lip curled into sharp point and she flashed her gritted teeth. She caught the lip with her iron grip and let the force drip down the tongue. Her foul presence pounded the dragon transferring a hissing howl in the force. Down. Boy.

She let the tongue go and pointed her dark finger at Keirra.

"Control your pet, or I will find a Nar Shadda merchant who is need of new fabrics for his knock-off purses." Anaximander growled.

 

[Jahn Kerloth]

Jahn weighed his words carefully, making sure he gave the proper impression.

“Amazing Naxey.” He began, giving a slight pause. “Almost everything you just said was wrong.” The alchemist grinned. “That's okay though, I can teach you up.” He kept his smile, but glanced at the booklet of instructions. He assumed the Elder gave them flimsi because it was easier to destroy, so he weighed each page carefully in his mind.

“Anyone else see the group project? Second section in mine.” He didn't bother listing page numbers, as he was sure they were different. “Looks like he wants all of us for it, and done pretty quick.”

 

[Gryylarc]

[member="Keirra"] [member="Anaximander"] [member="Jahn Kerloth"] [member="Archer Ludwig"]

Gryylarc pushed back a ways to look under the human-scale table and verify the dwarf krayt's location. He extended his alchemized footclaws in case the dragon grew over-curious.

The file proved thick, maybe thicker than others’ files: the Elder had a number of small and brutal errands for him. Simple enough work, and likely satisfying. The team project that Jahn mentioned, though...that looked significantly more complex.

He didn't intend for Jahn to serve as his translator in perpetuity, but he growled in Shyriiwook anyway. They'd better learn to understand him, because there was no way he could learn Basic. He went for slow, simple, and clear. One had to dumb things down with your average human.

<<This group target will be a good challenge. It will make many people angry. I like that.>>

He flipped to another section and grunted.

<<Also, the Elder has arranged for all of us to meet with an alchemist named [member="Azel Moran"]. He built my spear and made my claws strong.>>

 

[Keirra]

[member="Gryylarc"] [member="Jahn Kerloth"] [member="Anaximander"] [member="Archer Ludwig"]

Keirra tugged a knife from beneath the folds of her dress and began playing with it "Balthazar is not a pet, he is a ally and if you ever lay a hand on him I'll flay you alive and eat your heart." He was more than an ally, but what did it matter to them.


The dragon had already slid down and proceeded to try his luck with Ludwig the freshly extended claw on the wookiee weresignal enough for him to steer clear. He was simply familiarizing himself with their scents...and looking for a scratch.


The file seemed to be glaring at her, she resisted the urge to put her knife through it as the wookie growled again his words were utterly meaningless. She added leaning shyriiwook to her to do list.


"What group project?"


She asked "Yawn".

 

[Asher]

[member="Gryylarc"] // [member="Keirra"] // [member="Jahn Kerloth"] // [member="Anaximander"]

Children, squabbling over a creature of the simplest intellect, throwing insults and tantrums as if it would grant them anymore respect. Ludwig’s gaze fixed upon the girl who had referred to herself as Keirra and then the one called Anaximander with a continued indifference. It wasn’t necessarily that he didn’t feel anything as much as not wanting to grant either of them the satisfaction of a reaction. When egos came to blows it was rarely productive to favor either.

“Alchemist, you say.” Ludwig said and pushed the glasses on his nose up against his brows. “The group target seems like a good start for setting up a presence in the sector. Provided we have the manpower willing to work for it.”

For the first time, Ludwig perked his brow to show his genuine interest in the situation. His attention moving back to the brief again for a second readthrough.

 

[Jahn Kerloth]

[member="Gryylarc"] // [member="Archer Ludwig"] // [member="Anaximander"] // [member="Keirra"]

Jahn chose not to let the Elder's arrangements to see another Alchemist get to him. He wasn't big on swords and armor as other modern Alchemists were, but there was still the feeling of being slighted. Perhaps he'd look over some of his old notes on weapon crafting. Then again, he still had a backlog on potions to make. Decisions decisions.

"Their isn't much guidance on what to do, only the results the Elder wants." Jahn replied to Keirra. He was beginning to suspect she couldn't read basic. "Base of operations must be established. Required, all hands are. Prepared for my arrival the sites must be. Three locations, scouted I have." Jahn turned the page and read a short blurb on the location.

"An old Ren Academy on the planet Skye. Most artifacts of value likely removed. Close enough to ORC territory to strike at it, but far enough to avoid colonization for a while. Most likely to have usable technological infrastructure. Planet populated by large winged near-humans." Jahn made a couple of notes as he read the summarized bits. He spoke in a bit of a distant fashion, as if to himself, though he mainly did it for the young zeltron.

"The Black Library. Jedi Shadow haunting ground. Hidden in an asteroid in Wild Space. Potential site of dark-side artifacts, but presence of a Light Side Vergence. Hmm." Jahn thought for a moment on how to purge the light side vergence. The easiest way was usually mass slaughter, but on a hidden asteroid? Transporting that many people there could attract attention, raise questions.

"And Weik.Home to planetary size nexus. Icey planet stuck in fuedal era with occasional three thousand year old tech. Multiple thriving Force organizations that see the Force as magic. Very poorly known planet, off most galactic maps." Jahn pondered.

"I like Weik. The resource cost is high, but there seems to be potential for Force Sensitive recruits, and it's not a well known location. Less technologically advanced should mean an easier population to subjugate. Feudal planet plus harsh environment means small, scattered city-states, which also means easy subjugation. The Black Library is a nice way to say fierfek to the Jedi, but removing a light side aura is . . . tedious, and we can still rob the place if we go somewhere else. I feel like Skye is easiest to set up, but lowest reward. Unless we want to strike at Orc."

 

[Gryylarc]

[member="Keirra"] [member="Anaximander"] [member="Jahn Kerloth"] [member="Archer Ludwig"]

Gryylarc grunted.

"Wwwweik," he said. <<I agree with Jahn. Weik is the strongest option for a base of operations, but we should loot the other two if we can. The Ren academy on Skye might have been evacuated hastily, or might retain caches from what I'm told was a purge. The Ren dominated that area for a decade; I suspect there's much to find.>>

He didn't particularly care if they understood him. Urgency burned in his blood; he'd spent too much of his life sitting around tables like this one. Old age had taught him to prize activity, initiative.

Speaking of which, he needed a translation droid and fast. The Elder would expect him to do everything sensible to carry out his orders -- a lesson that the potentially illiterate child Keira might learn sooner rather than later.