Establishing Footholds: A Warlord's Demands

[Halmo'de Torobah]

Exile Temple, Prakith, 0600 Standard Hours​

With the temple built, and in reasonable working condition, Warlord Ryras Nur demands the building or capture of smaller scale compounds to establish a net of communication between the temple on Prakith, and the Exiles in the Outer Rim, and the Unknown Regions. He has called upon two of the same apprentices who aided in the building and excavating of the underground temple; a young Halmo'de Torobah and @Narri Emrour. With their leadership, they would assemble a search team to strike out and find suitable planets to host small-scale settlements for Exiles currently in hiding until they could be transported to Prakith.

In Halmo'de's personal quarters, he called Narri and two other willing Exiles to discuss places for suitable, and unassuming bases that Exiles could operate from under a guise of something else entirely. The four sat at a table, while a slave brought them snacks and drinks.

"Our Warlord, Ryras Nur demands we begin establishing bases in the Outer Rim. He has left it up to us where exactly to put them, under the parameters that they are not explicitly placed on planets rich in Dark Side energy. That would make them larger targets for Jedi and other hunters of our order. We will begin to populate those planets at a later date. For now, he needs us to decide on possible planets that are out of the way, with little or no planetside authority; or at least ones with weak and fractured governments with little in the way of a military force. I believe we should start in the southernmost reaches of the Outer Rim, and work our way around." Halmo'de began, opening the discussion. He reached for a stick of celery and bit down on it, revelling in the crisp, refreshing taste of it.

@Narsi @Orbit @Insalius

 

[Dennys Waszylla]

Of all the planets that Dennys had travelled to, Prakith had yet to be one of them to today. Posing as a tourist, the Exile's job had been to travel to as many worlds as he could, learning what he could about them with first-hand knowledge and to assist in any other Exile tasks that was given to him during these visits. Those tasks had been few and far between so far, meaning he had been able to just enjoy going around from world to world almost without a care in the world. He'd made some odd friends, some he believed were even other Jedi, but he'd kept his cover up impeccably. Now, though, he had been summoned by the Warlord to help with creating some safe havens for the Exiles as they tried to organize and gather recruits. Dennys was more than happy to help out.

That was how he found himself in Halmo'de's quarters with a few other Exiles, dressed in his floral shirt, tan shorts, and sandals in stark contrast to the clothing of his peers. Thanking one of the slaves for a drink of water, he listened to the leader of their little group speak his piece with respect. Though younger than him, Dennys was of all things a former soldier and thus respected the chain of command. He'd help out as best he could, though knowing how duplicitous other Exiles could be he was always on alert to watch his physical and mental back. Despite all this, though, he kept a genial smile on his face as he considered the proposal Hal had put out. It made sense and seemed as good of a place to start as any. Looking at the star map of the region, Dennys placed his hands on the table as he leaned in, recognizing a good number of planets in the chosen area. He began to recall all of the adventures he had on them and what he felt through the Force as he did so.

"Okay, with those parameters, we can get rid of these planets." Dennys gestured to a few planets that he recognized, though he didn't change anything with the map as it wasn't his place to do so. "As I went about them on my tours I could feel some pretty strong pockets of the Dark Side. Because of that I'm fairly sure I came across some Jedi investigating the places, though to them I was just another mouth-breathing thrill seeker. Now, as for these places," He pointed to a few more planets, ones more recognizable in the region, "These guys might be a bit too populated for our current needs. We want a place that's a bit out of the way but fairly innocuous. At least, that's the gist I'm getting here. If I'm wrong, please correct me." He looked around to his fellows, willing to accept any criticism after having given his input at the start of their meeting.

@Narsi @Orbit @Gian Greydragon

 

[Narri Emrour]

Ugh, she was in Halmo'de's quarters....this was all moving WAY to fast. Worse, were his quarters bigger than hers? Narri hissed and glared about the room and what else she could see, inwardly raging when her suspicions were confirmed. She was gonna fix that the moment she got back to her rooms, either by screaming to Levi for new rooms or just smashing out a new section in the rock. But that was for later, for now she had to focus on the task at hand, a firm reminder of just why she hated these pow wows. Forcing down the grimace, she grabbed up a sweet bun from the slaves and turned her attention to the planning.

Luckily, the region they were discussing was actually an area she'd been lucky to travel. Her old master had loved those out of the way places very much after all, and apparently so did Mr. flower shirt. She listened to what he had to say, finding herself agreeing with his conclusions, and then calmly added in her own impressions. One finger reached out, touching down on a certain lava world, "This planet is too hot." Her hand shifted until it was hovering over a certain icy world, "This planet is too cold." Finally she reached over and poked Utapau, "This planet is just right, not too populated, not too much dark side energy, and it possess an actual climate. Also," Narri leveled a strong glare at the others, "Don't even THINK about that stupid swamp planet, I've been there, and I'm not going back unless we are razing the place the entire planet to the ground along with all its groping inhabitants."

Having said her piece, as personal and opinionated it might be, Narri sat back in her chair and popped the bun in her mouth, chewing away happily. She motioned to one of the slaves carrying the wine, beckoning him over for something to wash the bun down. When she got it, she practically gulped down the wine. Dagobah....just thinking about it warranted a distraction, a hefty one.

@Gian Greydragon ​

 

[Siris Drast]

Siris observed from his seat, his eyes glancing between his three other associates. He's visited Prakith before, with Leviticus in fact when they took control of a local village. He thought he wouldn't be back for a long time on the planet, the very village he captured providing enough kyber crystal as it expanded its operation. But, a warlord had need of these Exile's services and the one who started the meeting, (@Gian Greydragon) Halmo'de, offered his abode to make the plans. Siris's eyes drifted to the man in floral, a smirk touching his lips under the cover of his hand as it held his head up. Siris never met him but he was already beginning to like him, standing out like a sore thumb from his usual counterparts. It was different but he didn't mind. His gaze then went to the other two, giving a quick analytical look at the twi'lek, noting that her tattoos weren't actually inked markings but burn marks. It was an interesting sight but he tore his gaze off of her and to Halmo'de, listening to him speak.

Siris watched as the three discussed what planet would be suitable for their operation. He had his own ideas but he desired to see how the group operated. It may have been a simple thing to just select a planet but it spoke volumes to Siris. He could see how the others thought just by the simple information they provide. Denny's stood up, eliminating a swath of planets he told them of his travels and personally visiting all of them. Well, that explained the look he had. From the selected planets that Denny's accepted, Siris was about to speak before Narri did. She complained about two before pointing at Utapau. Siris's eyebrow arched slightly as he dragged his finger slowly up and down the side of his sharp jaw. He never visited the planet but he's read about it and from what he could remember it was a suitable choice.

"I agree. It's discreet enough for us to be able to do it without drawing attention." He finally spoke up, still leaned back in his chair however as his silver optics locked on the image of the planet. It checked the box of weak and fractured government and that was the most important to Siris. If they picked a planet that had any type of presence with their government or forces, their plan would be over before it even started.

 

[Halmo'de Torobah]

Halmo'de nodded, leaning forward, resting his chin on his fist, as he zoomed in on the planet to get the planetary dossier. An electronic chirp, followed by an animatronic female voice began describing the planet.

"Utapau is a remote planet in the Outer Rim Territories 'Utapau system' is filled with enormous sinkholes. Its native inhabitants were the Pau'ans and the Utai. In it's current state, Utapau is sparcely inhabited, with a majority of it's inhabitants living in one of five major, walled settlements to protect from pirate raids. Visitors on Utapau are advised not to travel on land beyond the cities' walls without considerable protection. Do you require more information on - Utapau?" the female voice spoke.

With that, Halmo'de dismissed the display with a wave of his hand. "Well. I think we've found our candidate. Now about the placement of the base... If we can find one within one of these sinkholes large enough, we could build a base within one, and have natural protection and concealment from the sinkholes. And if we could camo the roof, we're golden," Hal said, scanning the faces of his companions.

 

[Halmo'de Torobah]

A moment of silent thought set Halmo'de slightly on edge. He was no fan of long periods of silence. "I have an interesting thought. What if, assuming we find one, took over a pirate base? We would need to conscripting a small crew from a local village. Shouldn't be too hard."
@Narsi

 

[Narri Emrour]

Narri grinned slightly at the edge in Halmo'de's voice, giggling inside at the way he disliked the sudden pause. She almost wanted to stay silent a moment longer, see what other noises he'd make. But instead she decided to take pity on him, clearing her throat to add a little more input.

"I agree, just taking over a base sounds easier than building one from scratch. An established pirate lair would have power, water, all the essentials really, would really cut down the work WE have to put in. Also, double yes to the conscription idea, we need someone for the menial things."

Narri sat back in her chair, grimacing lightly as she thought back to a certain event where she'd arrived to precisely a place without such simple hospitalities. Only to freeze as another thought occurred to her, and she leaned forward once more, looking briefly at the others around her. tossing in a quick glare at the guy who'd been staring at her. "Another thought, Why don't we conscript the pirates as well? Admittedly, mental manipulation isn't my strong suite, but if we can mind break even a dozen grunts into service...."

Narri sat back again, beckoning another servant over to take another sweet roll, dunking it in her wine before taking a bite. She'd have to stop soon, before the calories started piling up, but hopefully the meeting would end first.

@Orbit

 

[Dennys Waszylla]

Finally, some of these Exiles were taking him seriously instead of thinking he was a simple oaf among the edgiest of lords. Instead of berating Dennys they had instead taken his ideas and used them to refine their search, narrowing down planets until they had come to Utapau. The plan to take a pirate base on this planet and make it their own was also a good one, though he was wary of having things be taken too far like how the Twi-lek was advising. Unless they could completely dominate ALL the pirates, which was a tall order even for them, the risk of dissension or word getting out of their position would be too great. No, it would be best to start small with some very loyal companions, preferably Exiles themselves. THEN they could expand, once they were sure all the potential holes were secure.

Taking out his camera, he put it on the table before connecting it's datacard to the display. With a few commands he pulled up pictures of a trip to Utapau that he had done fairly recently. There were the usual selfies at impressive monuments and pictures of cool things, as well as a picture of him suplexing a local fool that thought he was hot shit. Strange how there was ALWAYS at least one person on every planet that thought they could out-BADASS him. He moved to the pictures taken from the tour he had gone on, observing areas that they had been told were too dangerous due to wildlife and pirates. "Here, these might be a few places that could work out. You don't want to be TOO far from civilization, yet you don't want to be too close, either. Once we're big enough we'd be able to move into the cities proper, for now though location is key. We'll have to be right BADASSES to pull this off good, though." He pointed towards the one named Siris, a sudden intensity in his eyes. "You got some potential, kid. I can see it in your body movements. I'll teach you how to suplex a fool like a champ on the way there. You never know when you'll need to teach a motherkriffer a lesson. You could be the next Alais, for kriff's sake. I watched her when she was known as Dahlia during the tournament and I almost landed on her on Lothal. Literally. Wingsuits are fun. Do you think you've got enough potential to be a true BADASS, boy?"

@Orbit @Narsi @Gian Greydragon

 

[Siris Drast]

Siris listened to his compatriots, his eyes locked on the display of the planet as he thought over the robotic woman's words. The addition of pirates could be an advantage instead of a disadvantage then what most people would think. As the twi'lek said, they would need men for "menial" things. Plus, the extra man force they could acquire would make any operation they conducted a little easier with some backup. The commandeering of an existing base was also appealing, cutting out the tedious process of trying to construct one in secret from the pirates or the government forces that would still be present on the planet. Siris tapped his finger lightly on his chin, believing the plan was beginning to fall into place.

The tropical one suddenly turned to Siris, something flickering in his eyes before pointing at him with a meaty finger and announcing to them all that he had potential and that Dennys wanted to teach him how to suplex. Siris's eyebrow raised at the Exile, not expecting the sudden outburst and the mentioning of his lover Alais. If he knew Alais, maybe he was already an unexpected ally already. He remembered Alais's Dahlia days and wondered if Dennys had anything to do with teaching her. If he did teach her, then maybe he could actually teach Siris something of worthwhile. Siris stared at Dennys for a second before giving him a nod, accepting the strange Exile's invitation on how to suplex.

Siris turned his gaze back to (@Gian Greydragon) Torobah, a different flicker in his gaze as he stared at the man. "Shall we begin then?" Siris had nothing else to add without sounding redundant. The faster they begin, the better it would be. He hoped they could strike quickly and control a small base in a reasonable timeframe, but nothing ever went as planned and something was bound to go wrong. Siris wondered what type of problems this little misfit group could get themselves into.

 

[Halmo'de Torobah]

Halmo'de looked on with a malicious grin between his comrades. The plan was on it's way to being underway, and the sooner they established this safehouse, the sooner other Exiles would do the same. "Gather your things, we'll leave for the nearest village in three hours. I'll get us a big enough ship to carry us all to Utapau, from the village.

With that, he stretched out his legs and before standing, as a slave opened the door to his quarters, for the other.

/End thread.