Kindling Friendships Among an Inferno

[René]

[OOC] This thread is open for all members of Inferno Squad, and is PvP and death-disabled. It is meant to be a social thread.

Spoiler: Inferno Squad Roster

@Gamov, @Aberforth, @Chance Mills, @Hol Horse, @Tristar, @Korvo, @LordOfShadows, @Comrade Matt, @Danee, @Kyle: The Rogue, @Bastilo Marshall

Kaelis Mar'Kov's Private Estate, Mustafar
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Kaelis Mar'Kov, a powerful Sith and member/financial benefactor the the Empire's elite Inferno Squad, had invited all high-ranking members of the group to his private estate on Mustafar, overlooking the lava rivers that flowed across the near-barren planet. His intent was for the officers and Sith of the group to meet and consult with one another, to know who their comrades were. While somewhat of an introvert himself, the Zabrak believed in comraderie and knowledge of one's allies, as he perceived that it aided in battle a lot. An commander who knows the commanding officer of another vessel during a naval attack is more likely to coordinate with the best possible efficiency, and with well-planned and complementing tactics, the battles to come would be more successful. The Sith had ordered his staff, some hired and some slaves, to prepare a lavish party for his guests; although no alcohol was to be consumed. Kaelis had a personal distaste for alcohol, but in addition communication between his guests would yield better results if nobody was drunk.

Several corvettes and other naval vessels belonging to Inferno Squad orbited the planet, and among them was the Star Destroyer Lusankya, the flagship and mobile headquarters of the Squad. Already guests had started filing into the massive dining hall of Mar'Kov Manor, and still a few more shuttles were touching down on the landing pad outside. There were several circular tables scattered about, there was a buffet of food along one wall, and at the head of the room was a long rectangular table for Admiral Anya Sevchenko, leader and founder of Inferno Squad, along with seats for Kaelis and any other high-profile members who decided to show up. Flanking the table was the blind Sith's 4 personal 'guards', acolytes he had trained adequately enough, but not his direct apprentices. They wore simple black armor and had lightsaber pikes similar to those of the Jedi temple guards, whom they were ment to mock.

Kaelis himself currently stood just in front of the head table, waiting for the various members of Inferno Squad to be seated. He waited for anyone to begin a conversation with him, extending greetings in his cold, even-toned voice. This would hopefully turn out to be a productive night.

 

[Danee]

Mustafar, a planet that was as close as it got to a literal definition of Hell. The volcanic world held nothing of value other than sheer terror for prisoners who were of significance enough to be sent away to never return, and if they did, they would not be the same. Viktoria did not like this planet and as the Assailant moved closer to the Mar'Kov manor she gritted her teeth. As the ship settled down on one of the few landing pads large enough she closed her eyes for a few seconds before walking off of the bridge.

As much as she hated the planet she understood the value of being a participant of the meeting that would take place soon enough. As the ramp to the Corvette lowered she found herself accompanied by two Stormtroopers behind her as she walked down onto the landing pad and into the manor. Before she entered, her escorts stopped and turned around to return to the ship. Dressed in a more formal suit she kept her lips shut while various people greeted her, replying with a shake of their hand and a nod. When she entered the main dining hall she looked around, no one stood out so far, a rather standard setup for such an event. Assuming that the long and rectangular table was mostly meant for their Commander, Anya Sevchenko, Viktoria smirked and walked up to the table. Placing a hand on the chair to the right of the middle one she inadvertently marked it as her own seat, ensuring herself a spot close if not right next to the Admiral.

She didn't need to place anything there as she walked off and around the table towards the Sith who had hosted the meeting. "Kaelis Mar'Kov, for what reason do we owe the honor of an arrangement like this?" She spoke, voice calm and yet humble.

 

[Bastilo Marshall]

In his transport ship, many thoughts flew in and out of Tenrins about this meeting. He decided to act cautiously on this plant and in this estate had his own troopers accompany him as guards as guards. He had his single heavy blaster pistol in his belt as he thought of it as counter measures and he had his white admiral clothes and cape for he tried to look his somewhat best. He wore nothing on his head as he didn't have a need to conceal anything on his head. Mustufar, Large amount of degree's here and much lava somewhat singed land. Tenrin thought of it as a good place to build a heat resistant base for nobody will just walk around the planet.

Tenrins transport ship landed on the landing pad and his guards accompanied him as he approached the estate. He had time to look around on the planet slightly as he felt the heat of the molten magma from above and the singed land and rocks. He entered the estate and looked around, hoping to see something in between fancy and cool. He found it to be somewhat on the side of cool. He somewhat liked the buffet of food but didn't really enjoy the setup of the tables as he would do it correspondingly like a twin mirror on both halves of the room. He would've preferred a chandelier and probably something else that would caught the attention of some other and himself. He approached the Sith and took a quick glance at the rectangular table and back for he knew it was for Anya Sevchenko. He then stood two feet away from the Sith and said "Why exactly did you call us here? and if we ever do this again, make sure you make everything percisely please." as if he wasn't enjoying the place.

 

[vamp]

.

Ronan arrived wearing his armor, and a dark cloak over it, as usual. He removed his helmet as he stepped inside, mostly as a sign of respect. He did not particularly like Mustafar, but when invited to an event like this, turning it down was not an option, and neither was suggesting a change of location.

He was not very familiar with the other members of the Squad, mostly because this was the first time he saw them. As he stepped inside, he noticed a woman "marking" her spot at the side of what must have been the commander's seat, so he decided to claim the other seat, to the left of their leader. Not because he was trying to play some subversive Sith game, but because having a conversation with anyone else in the room would probably be both irritating and dull.

As he walked to the rest of the group, he heard a man speaking to their host.

"Why exactly did you call us here? And if we ever do this again, make sure you make everything precisely please."

He remained silent, curious to see the response to this. This is not something you say to someone that just invited you to a dinner party at their estate. Especially not if they were a Sith.

 

[René]

Kaelis "looked" around with the Force as more people entered, taking note of who he might want to talk to later. When he was approached by two commanders, the Sith noticed one of them, Tenrin he believed was his name, seemed to be inspecting the place, while the other, Viktoria, was already staking out a seat next to where the Admiral would sit. Kaelis smiled, the ambition she seemed to display was a good trait and would serve both her and Inferno Squad well.

"Kaelis Mar'Kov, for what reason do we owe the honor of an arrangement like this?"

"Viktoria Thorne. How grateful I am that you were able to arrive. This arrangement is mostly a social gathering, to get the members of the Squad to meet each other and make connections," the Zabrak began, "Although for the Admiral, myself, and a few other Commanders and Sith, such as yourself, we are here to discuss... an opportunity."

Kaelis sensed the other Commander, Tenrin, approach him while another Sith began to move towards Kaelis' seat to the left of the Admiral's. He moved to politely ask the other Sith to sit next to him, as he sensed no malice in his voice of seat, simply boredom. However, he was cut off by the rude words of Tenrin.

"Why exactly did you call us here? And if we ever do this again, make sure you make everything precisely please."

The audacity the commander had to insult a Sith within his own estate, being the host no less, was amazing. The Zabrak curled his hand and began to apply pressure to Tenrin's throat, seeking in a lower toned voice than usual.

"Your arrogance is astounding, Commander. I do not care if you are a member of Inferno Squad, or the Empire for that matter. If you have the audacity to insult me in my estate again, I will gladly crush your throat and end your miserable life without a second glance. Understood?"

With that the Sith left him to gasp for breath, making his way to the other Sith by his seat.

"Sorry about that commotion. I'm Kaelis Mar'Kov, your host. I will be taking this seat next to Admiral Sevchenko, but I invite you to sit next to me if you wish; you should still be able to participate in our conversation. What's your name?"

 

[Danee]

To her, it seemed that their host was, despite his hostile appearance, a rather humble one. As he explained the reasoning behind their gathering she nodded and turned around to watch another person make claims upon a seat. As he wasn't covered in Imperial clothing she concluded that he too was a Sith. It was interesting how many Sith there were in the Squadron, but it was also somewhat obvious as they made for excellent fighters and could quite often provide rather insightful commentaries and strategies when they weren't going on about the Jedi all the time.

She had taken but a few steps when she heard the annoying accent of an alien species behind her she didn't stop. However as the Sith she had spoken to growled something towards the Commander she stopped and turned around, smirking as he strangled the Sullustan before walking along the table and looking at the various people that participated in the meeting.

It didn't take long for her to find most of them rather, dull, so she decided to walk up to the two Sith and participate in their Conversation. Silently she placed herself on their sides and folded her hands together behind her back.

 

[Bastilo Marshall]

Being strangled at the throat by the force pressure this Zabrak was applying, he did some type of breathing tactic which allowed a slight but wide enough passage of air in his throat which allowed him to breath. After the sith made his remark and let Tenrin go he was left to take up to 3 steady but urgent breaths for air. He thought for a few seconds and stood up straight as his guards tried to help him up and didn't even bother to fire at the sith. Tenrin pulled out a datapad and began to mark something down about the with in it and placed it back in his pocket as he then said quietly.

"Oh I do understand, and I understand that you have a few interesting traits yourself"

He stood there and crossed his arms as if he was waiting for someone to saying something else. The guards then stepped up just slightly beside him for they wanted to show him reassurance. The trooper began to say something to the with but didn't finished as he waved the guard away and continued to stand there unamused.

 

[Gamov]

Uncharacteristically, Anya had been distracted during introductions, her eyes darting up infrequently with each new arrival to take cursory stock of those gathered. It was quite unlike the Admiral to bring her work with her to a social function, but given recent developments across the Empire and beyond, she could scarce afford to let her eye slip off the ball. The Jedi victory at Ithor would no doubt empower them to make another bold move elsewhere; it was only a question of when and where rather than if. And the Mandalorians... an unpredictable wild card if ever one existed. Unlike their Jedi contemporaries, they didn't need to be pushed into an attack.

The heated exchange between Mar'Kov and Commander Tenrin finally snared her divided attentions. The Marauder seemed to have things well in hand, but the Sullustan had a chip on his shoulder. The way he held himself, arms crossed, posture rigid, flanked by his guards, it was all very showy; and left a less than amused impression. As did Mar'Kov's display - his reaction only confirming her long held opinions of the Sith. Suppressing a weary sigh, Anya mused ever so briefly on her distaste for Imperial politics before seeking to restore civility to the proceedings. Starting with the dueling egos.

"Allow me to make one thing perfectly clear." She raised her voice as she stood, casting a stoic gaze among those gathered, "I will not tolerate insubordination under my command. We may be assembled here under Mar'Kov's hospitality, but so long as I am present, this body will conduct itself accordingly. The Empire cannot afford to lose precious time with this bickering." Anya's attention drifted to Tenrin, fixing him with a scowl. "And make no mistake Commander, your entire career lives and dies on my word. I trust you now fully grasp the gravity of your predicament."

Squaring her shoulders, her piece spoken for all to hear, Anya turned a no less stern glance towards Kaelis. "Now then. Shall we get to the business at hand? I am curious to hear of this 'opportunity' of yours."

 

[Arturia Paorach]

Arturia yawned as he headed for the mess deck; it had been a long watch or at least felt like it had. All the portholes had the same depressing view. Why anyone wanted to come to much less live on Mustafar was beyond him. It was moments like this that reminded him how much he missed Kuat and maybe even Terephon. Worlds should be green and lush with life in all its forms. Shaking his head of these thoughts he entered the mess hall.

Standing in line to get chow Arturia was alerted by his data pad via chirp that he had a fresh priority message. Quickly pulling it from his tunic he opened the message from his commanding officer. He audibly sighed as he read the short message. He was going to be playing role of her attendant at this formal function. Looking at the time he felt the bottom fall out of his stomach, if he rushed he would only be a little late.

One quick shower and a fresh uniform later Arturia made his way into the estate after clearing security. He made his way to where the banquet was being held doing his best not to make eye contact with any one and keeping his head down lest he lose it. Once he reached the hall, he had no trouble spotting his commanding officer. She seemed to be talking, or was it listening to what could only have been two sith off to one side.

He approached the group at such an angle that the commander could see him from the corner of her eye but put him out of any social obligation to interrupt or speak to his betters. He would have to apologies for being late latter, as cutting in would have been a worse move. After all junior officers where to be seen not heard at events like these. Standing at parade rest he did his best to look respectable and not shame his captain.

 

[vamp]

.

He watched the proceedings without interest. These were simply Sith power games, and shows of strength to make sure everyone else knew who could and who couldn't be intimidating. Ronan remained silent, because he decided he'd rather not get involved, but also because sometimes silence is the best answer. Let them come to him if they had a bone to pick, but he would not incite anything.

And so he watched the man get chewed out and strangled, counting the time that they could've used planning rather than picking on arrogant teammates (if he could be considered that). Surprisingly, strangling the man did nothing to sate his ego, and he simply remained there glowering between his guards. Why he needed guards at such an event was an issue that Ronan did not want to get into.

A voice roused him from his thoughts. ""\Sorry about that commotion. I'm Kaelis Mar'Kov, your host. I will be taking this seat next to Admiral Sevchenko, but I invite you to sit next to me if you wish; you should still be able to participate in our conversation. What's your name?"

"Nice to meet you. My name's Ronan Xilo," he replied to the Zabrak. "I have no problem with moving my seat. Feel free to take it."

As the meeting began, he would proceed to sit down next to their host.

 

[Chance Mills]

From the doorway, a light and then a heavy metallic clank could be heard on the stone floors. In entered a muun with a walking stick decorated elegantly with metal, even on the bottom, and an almost bird-like metal prosthetic leg. It was Geroin Sep, a rather disgraced Sith Marauder only really known for a failure on the last planetary battle, where he lost his leg defending a station from jedi forces. Aside from the metal clanking, he would otherwise enter silently, his head held high in a dignified manner as he took his seat close to the conversation, keeping his hand on his walking stick.

 

[Danee]

As the Admiral spoke up a realization crept upon Viktoria, she hadn't noticed her arrival or that she had been present at all. Though she didn't say anything about it and kept it to herself instead. No need to turn a bruise into a bleeding wound after all. Her attention had been snapped from the two Sith she had prepared to engage in conversation with, to the Admiral as she reprimanded the Sith and the Commander who had started off on a bad start.

However what she said was also very true, they might be in Mar'kov's estate, but that didn't bypass the chain of command that had been established, putting Admiral Sevchenko at the very top, and Viktoria was a bit closer towards the bottom than she liked. Though judging by the threatening words towards the other Commander she felt like she could safely assume that her position was above his now. When the Admiral turned to the Sith again and spoke about an opportunity that the Sith was going to let them know about. What he had planned must be quite of importance to call everyone in the Squadron to a single location such as Mustafar, a planet which wasn't exactly known as a prime-meeting location.

As she turned her head over towards the Sith Duo once again she noticed someone approaching in the corner of her eye, it was rather obvious who it might be and as she briefly looked towards him, (@Arturia Paorach) moving her right hand she pointed a finger on the ground beside her then she turned back to the Sith duo.

In the distance a repetitive cycle of clanking reached her ears, drawing her attention towards the entrance when she spotted another Sith. This one she had heard about, a Sith Marauder who had failed the Empire as well as lost one of his legs. 'What a disgrace.' she thought to herself as she moved to stand behind the Seat she had marked for herself, eyes darting back to the late Private and nodded to the chair on her own right. She didn't a Sith by her side nor did she want the Sullustan to sit too close to her either.

 

[René]

Kaelis simply dismissed the Admiral's stern glance, instead focusing on the fact that it was about time to discuss the reason that he had called the gathering. A simple soldier, no matter how high the rank, could never understand the motivations of a Sith. Regardless, the blind Zabrak was beginning to take a liking to the other Sith, named Ronan. He seemed to know his place in a party, unlike the ugly Sullustan. Commander Viktoria also seemed decent, already he held her in a higher regard than the scum who had even brought his own guards.

"Welcome to Mar'Kov Manor, Admiral. It's not on the most... beautiful planet, but it's certainly a secure location. As for why I invited you and others such as Commander Thorne and Ronan, I..." Kaelis stopped, at first due to the appearance of a private, seemingly under the command of Viktoria, but decided he could hear the information as well. What really stopped him was the appearance of the disgrace of the Sith, Geroin Sep. In the Zabrak's not-so-humble appearance, the fool ought to be executed for his failures.

"Ahem," he continued, "Sorry about that. I began to choke on the scent of disgrace. Anyways, I would like to propose that Inferno Squad assault the planet Telos in the coming months, in the hopes of retaking the planet for the Sith Empire. I will go into more detail as the night progresses, but for now let's all sit down and enjoy the food my servants have prepared and engage in some comraderie, shall we?"

 

[Bastilo Marshall]

Tenrin took a seat at a random part of the table which was a close proximity to everyone else which allowed him to keep in range of the conversation. He began to think to himself of how the team reacted to the commotion and his simple suggestion which he meant to come out in a more welcoming tone. He somewhat knew that most if not everyone judge him for that act and decided that if he was gonna be part of this squad he'll need to at least act kind.

After hearing the words of his commander he decided not to respond but listen as he didn't have much he needed to say. Upon his gaze being turned to the disgrace he knew of who he was and what his failures were. He turned away as he felt like this person had no use to him. After hearing the words of the Zabrak that attempted to make a statement to him, he decided to not even try to make an attempt of friendship with him or at least make him an ally. His gaze turned to back to his data pad as he began to mark things down.

 

[Arturia Paorach]

Arturia quietly fell in to step behind his commanding officer, as directed by her small hand movement. Keeping his head still he looked around the room with his eyes as best he could, as well as listening to what was going on around him. He did not care for social gatherings as a rule, but a room full of superiors half of which seemed to be having an ego contest, was just dreadful.

It was hard to miss the admiral and who Arturia assumed was the sith host, seemed to command the rooms attention with little effort, he wetted the appetite of those gathered as to why they were there. So he wanted to plan an assault on Telos, Arturia mulled over what he knew about the world.

The only thing that he could remember off the top of his head was its location along the Hydian Way hyperlane. That fact alone was more than enough to warrant wanting to take it. That said if memory served there where a few other enemy controlled worlds between Sikurd and Telos.

His train of thought was interrupted as his commanding officer moved to the table, staying in step with her he found himself being directed to sit to her right. Ensuring to pull her chair out for her to take her seat before taking his own; Arturia did his best to keep his eyes off any one person.

 

[Chance Mills]

Geroin noticed the aura of his "allies" change when he sat. He knew they hated him, but he was the one who survived an encounter with two Jedi, one of the only real survivors of that battle. He knew what he had done, and knew that he could defend himself if need be. He heard the conversation of their plans, and thought of it as a rather good idea, but were they at armistice with the Mandoloreans? He remained silent, allowing the conversation to continue.

((Matt has not responded in 48 hours. Assuming I can post now))

 

[vamp]

Spoiler: OOC

Since no one's posted in a few days, I guess I'll just post my response and then we could resume the order with @Swedish Guy

.

As things began to settle, and the meeting commenced, Ronan tried to focus on the discussion as hand, which was abruptly interrupted. As a man walked in, supporting himself with a cane, all eyes turned to him. Even their host, who currently had the floor, stopped, and made a rather passive aggressive remark. Ronan had heard of a Sith who lost his leg fighting, although he couldn't tell why everyone hated him so much. People lost limbs all the time. However, he was out of the loop, so his uninformed opinion didn't really matter. He made a note to look into the situation later.

He was eager to get back into the discussion. Today was a learning experience, and he learned that Sith absolutely love to waste time on petty things, from strangling a lower ranking soldier to making remarks about a handicapped man. Nevertheless, he brushed it off, since it really didn't matter as long as they finished what they were doing.