Ask Felucia Magical Mystery Tour

[Renfry]

The sun was rising over the jungles of Felucia, and Andruil looked out over the growing dawn. The enclave she had scouted with Tiamat all those years ago had been completed, and this place now served as one of the primary worlds on which she conducted her direct Sith business.

The enclave was built into a mountain a mile or two from one of the local spaceports, and the relationship that had begun building between the different populations of locals was promising. A road now led from the spaceport to the local village of jungle Felucians near the base of the mountain. It also served as an additional layer of security to protect her and her people.

Her guest today was none other than Morgan. The two hadn't seen one another since the "events" on Dromuund Kaas, and she would have been lying if she had said she wasn't a little bit apprehensive about today's meeting.

Still, meeting about the medicinal crops that were grown on Felucia was potentially beneficial to everyone involved. If he had ideas for use and distribution, it was likely to be something they would both be interested in. The nature of the rest of the meeting... was to be determined.

 

[Darth Stolas]

It had been some time since Morgan had visited with Renfry. Not since that fateful party, in fact. But now that both of them were on the council the Firrerreo believed some further collaboration, and perhaps explanation, was needed. The two of them were some sort of friends, he thought, even if they weren't terribly close. Renfry certainly wasn't someone Stolas considered an enemy or rival for any reason.

His vessel had landed in the spaceport and he traveled to the enclave via speeder bike, hopping off it and placing the generic helmet atop. Dante popped off the back to follow him inside, the Sith dressed in what was by now the most distinctive, if armoured, attire of Stolas. Somehow he'd gathered a reputation.

Golden eyes looked around the area appraisingly, having also noted the locals who seemed to more or less be coexisting with the spaceport's denisens. Felucia had much to offer and that was one of several things he intended to discuss with Andruil. She did have authority over this planet, after all, while Morgan mostly went for industry and cities.

A guard of some kind would alert Renfry to Morgan's arrival while someone else escorted the expected guest inside. He would immediately seem to be in a far, far improved mood over the last two times Renfry had seen him. Back to his usual sort of self, if not even better in some ways.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Welcome, Lord Stolas, Sheehan said respectfully, meeting him out in front of the mountain facility. Hers was a face that he would recognize from his previous visits to Dathomir. She was the captain of Renfry's personal guard and Renfry's left hand.

The Queen is just inside and waiting for you. Please, this way, she said, heading inside.

Stolas was led inside the enclave to find that it was entirely modernized. Where Andruil had tried to keep Dathomir free of technology at least in spirit, this was a world that was more Sith than Nightsister. Soldiers, Nightsisters, and Sith milled around from place to place, though it still wasn't an overly populated facility.

They headed deeper into the facility before arriving at a large conference room. Renfry sat at one end of the large tables, a wide variety of datapads, papers, and other reference material were strewn out over one end of the table in a controlled chaos. She looked up to see Stolas, and motioned to one of the seats.

Welcome, Morgan. Please, have a seat, she said, motioning to one of the chairs where there weren't papers and reports strewn everywhere. She finished writing something down before placing the stylus on the table and looking up again.

What can I do for you? she asked.

 

[Darth Stolas]

Sheehan was a familiar sight. Last time she'd eyed him more warily given his mood but hadn't balked, a valuable guard for the queen of Dathomir. Morgan also appreciated the modernization that had found its way into the mountain enclave. Renfry appeared to have followed his helpful, if relatively vague, advice. The odd soldier or Sith felt a spike or worry and wariness at Stolas' appearance. Two members of the council in one place was eerie on its own and while the Firrerreo Sith had a relatively good reputation, over time it had also been noticed he was quite capable of cruelty.

"Thank you," he said simply to the woman guiding him to the conference area. Goldens noted the strewn notes and work about and Morgan was reminded of his own desk on Drommund Kaas and the piles he'd had to sort through after the ball. Morgan walked into the room and found a seat one place away from where the Nightsister sat, not bothering with the "staring at one another across a long meeting table" game. It was tedious.

"Renfry, good to see you." Dante floated in after after him and plopped itself on the tabletop away from the papers and things, whirring a 'ready' noise. Morgan smiled in a politely friendly sort of way, only with his lips and without the threatening flash of fangs and teeth.

"The first thing is relatively simple. In concept," he answered, "I want to reasonably expand the medical goods production of Felucia as a joint venture."

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She watched he and his droid as they both took seats. She nearly started cleaning up her things, but decided that might be interpreted as a bit rude, so instead opted to simply sit and listen.

She was no expert in droids, but even she picked up on the fact that the droid seemed to be "ready" for something, and she couldn't help but wonder what that was.

Ah, yes, the nysillin. It was an incredibly useful crop and one she had grown to respect the farmers for producing. Although not quite as much of a miracle drug as bacta or even kolto, it absolutely had its pocket in the galactic markets.

Indeed? she said, her curiosity obviously piqued. The farmers have thus far been satisfied with our arrangement with them, but I'm certain that expansion and support for their crops would only sweeten that arrangement, she said. Felucia's placement along major trade routes and the relative isolation of the farming populations had made them a prime target for pirates and criminals. Although the locals sold the Sith crops at a discount, in many cases they were now making far more as a result of the additional protection and security.

Did you have a particular plan in mind? she asked, reaching over to one of her piles and pulling out several papers. Despite the added efficiency of electronic records, she liked the feeling of something physical in her hands. She thumbed through them for a moment before finding the small folder that specifically regarded the topic of local production of nysillin.

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan moved slightly in his seat to retrieve a datapad of his own and placed it on the tabletop in front of him. A short whistling tone was replied to in reverse by Dante and its top opened up to project a holographic display of different datapoints. The Firrerreo had, of course, come prepared.

"Expansion, support, and refinement. Trade routes in the area make it profitable with protection but I believe the output can be reasonably increased without a negative effect to the local ecosystem." A common mistake made by some prior Sith had been to drain a planet dry. Morgan preferred smart investment to strip mining, a sentiment reflected in his mixed respect and disdain of planets like Korriban. "Import of farming supplies and potential workers or droids. A station to serve as an orbital refinery. Keep byproducts off world. Perhaps a subsidy in return for supply or shares."

Hypothetically such expansion could increase profits, benefiting all involved, while also providing more medicine for the Sith military and citizenry. Stolas intended to expand their territory and this, for him, also meant ensuring the various peoples had what they needed.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Andruil's eyesbrows rose as she listened to him, looking at the projections. It was clear she was impressed by his proposal and she nodded along.

I like it, she said in agreement, taking a moment to ponder about it. There was a great deal of benefit to everyone involved. This was what having additional resources could do for you: putting together the people who could make each other better, more productive, and more powerful.

But I doubt this is why you came all the way out here, she said after a moment. He could have done this on a holocall. There was something more, though what she wasn't sure.

Perhaps it was just her lingering suspicions about him following the Kesh. What had really happened there was still unclear, but she could only assume that it didn't have to do with Malicia's defiance of the Eternal. Though, the more time she had put between herself and the event, the more she thought he may have been correct to remove her from the Order. After all, Andruil had gone out of her way to hunt down the remnants of the cult, and that wasn't because people had been watching.

 

[Darth Stolas]

A peculiar and mischievous grin found Morgan's features when Renfry proclaimed her doubts, not of the plan of expansion but why he'd come here in person to relay the information. There was the simple fact of politeness of course but the Firrerreo had ambitions beyond farming subsidies and medicine production.

"Of course not. There is also a scholarly pursuit of my own and a matter of clarification." It seemed the Nightsister had already taken Morgan's advice on defending Dathomir if the slim reports he'd received were anything to go by. Stolas was not fond of the idea of planets in Sith space being easy to land on, and while the Nightsisters were surely vicious fighters, prior history had shown they could be overwhelmed through firepower. The same reason the people of Firrerre also invested in defensive technology, in fact.

"First, the latter." He leaned back a little in his chair, hands folded neatly atop the desk. "What did you think of the events on Drommund Kaas?" It seemed an earnest enough question even if those hawk-like eyes of his were watching closely.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She suspected as much, and she was glad that he gave a straightforward response to her question. Dancing around issues could often be so tedious when she simply wanted a direct response.

She nodded in response to the comment, though she had to admit her curiosity about his "scholarly pursuit" had her interested. However, it was the other issue that he brought up first. And that "other issue" was really the elephant in the room, wasn't it?

She could feel him watching her unrelentingly, but there was little to see. The harsh change in her seemed to have brought with it a stone-hard poker face as well.

I think there was more going on there than it appeared, she said. I'm not going to pretend I know what, she said. It was always possible that she was wrong about that, but what she knew of him and what they'd spoken of in the past all seemed to point to this single fact.

 

[Darth Stolas]

Of course there would be guesses as to what spurred the actions Stolas took on Drommund Kaas but he doubted any would guess correctly. Some reasons were more obvious than others but certainly there had been several. Renfry in particular was bound to have concerns considering what Morgan had said out loud at the party and some of their prior conversations in private. Which was why he'd brought this up at all.

"Significantly." His fine features shifted into a wry expression. " If the Eternal feels threatened, or challenged, and the threat is vulnerable and its power split, what would it do?" In this case he was speaking of Malicia and Raze, but his question also rhetorical as he answered it himself after a couple seconds. "Take what they have, nullify the threat and its influence as a show of power. Is this not so?"

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry listened to what he said as he spoke. It was curious and she took a moment to ponder it. There was no question that she saw there was a serious danger to what she had spoken to him of before, but he hadn't turned on her.

To what purpose? she asked. She was far too cautious to come out and ask if he was planning to usurp the Eternal.

Gaining favor, she said, as if answering her own question. And if that wasn't his plan, she had covered herself.

But she wasn't a blatant enough threat until you declared her in front of everyone, she said. Which means there's more, she thought. It was the unspoken statement.

 

[Darth Stolas]

Renfry seemed to grasp at least part of it. She was better at picking things up than when they'd first met years ago on Dathomir, that much was clear.

"No, she wasn't. But I don't believe she would have kept hold of that territory, whether it was me or the Dark Lord. She was being watched." Between her open defiance and the cult that worshipped her, and the many happenings in the galaxy around that and the ISC, the Eternal had not seemed terribly pleased. And if the Eternal had demanded her territory, even if she did put up resistance, that would risk a form of wasteful civil war.

But naturally there was more to it than that. Morgan's face took a distinctly unpleasant expression, one of spite and disappointment.

"She was unworthy of what she claimed." And he didn't just mean the territory she'd ruled with Darth Raze.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She listened to what he said, a much different person now than she had first been when they had met. Her life had undergone several personal catalyst events, the most recent of which was the purging of the cult. She had even led efforts to hunt down the remaining cultists after leaving Dromuund Kaas.

That much was made clear when she failed to even respond to your challenge, she agreed with his final statement. Malicia's failure to even make the simplest attempt to stand up for herself had felt almost like a personal betrayal to the Nightsister.

And her relationship with Lord Raze? she asked. She decided it was better to simply lance the boil and get it all out in the open than let it fester. Perhaps she was out of the woods with him coming after her for not being the Eternal's biggest fan, but if she needed to expect it based on her own relationship with Emryc, then that was a different story. Either way, she thought it best if she watched her back. The Sith in general were not the most trustworthy bunch. Insurance was an important part of survival.

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan merely nodded at Renfry's initial agreement. No defense, not denial, not attempt at negotiation or surrender. No close allies willing to help her. If the Eternal had come to take it all away she, and Raze, could easily have been left with nothing.

Hawk-like goldens firmly found the Nightsister's face again when she mentioned the relationship. Although that having happened visibly displeased him he seemed far, far less soured about it than he had before. Clearly something had changed aside from the events of that little party. Morgan had practically been a walking thunderstorm when he'd last visited Dathomir.

"Partly so," he admitted irritably. While it was more complicated than their arrangement itself it was still significant. "I accept some things. But I could not do so for a surprise marriage with a woman like her." Morgan turned his nose up at the memory. "Imperceptive, foolish, and disrespectful. What nonsense." The Firrerreo gave Renfry a searching, knowing look for a couple silent moments.

"I have little qualm over what you and Raze got up to. Else, I would not be here so politely. Is this not so?" His tone was far from politely but moreso matter-of-fact. It was a simple truth of the matter.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She saw the shift in his eyes. For the tensions that were slowly dissipating between the pair, they had known each other for many years. While she hadn't truly learned to read him, she had learned a great deal. This was nothing compared to the fire she had seen from him on Dathomir. She had grown accustomed to concentrated gazes of her peers. The Sith Lords collectively were an intense group.

She listened to what he said, nodding. This was a situation it seemed everyone could live with (literally), so she saw no reason to push the topic further. He didn't seem eager to discuss it, and she had the answers she wanted.

I find clarity is the best policy when handling topics like this, she said. Though there really weren't any "topics like this" were there?

I am satisfied if you are, she said, offering the opportunity to obtain his own clarity should he need it. She had a feeling something else had happened to make him so angry with Malicia specifically, but she didn't ask what that was. While she was curious, it wasn't really her business, and so she opted not to push the envelope further. She had what she required for her own relative peace of mind.

I believe that brings us to your second order of business then, she said, mind shifting to "academic pursuits" almost feeling excited at the day that he might have brought a puzzle for her to solve.

 

[Darth Stolas]

Everything seemed to work out just fine for the moment. Certainly he wasn't fond of talking over the whole situation but it was best to be clear, just as Renfry had said herself. What mattered most was that their territories, which shared both a border and trade routes, worked together and prospered. Morgan worked with extra fervor to nurture and protect the space he'd taken given Raze was also entitled to it.

If a distance formed between he and Renfry over a misunderstanding it would be... awkward.

"Satisfied I am." And so he moved right along to the next subject. This time he pulled a datacron from within the confines of his robes and placed it on the table. "I seek magick," Stolas said matter-of-factly. "Some knowledge of old Sith arts I possess, but not enough. And, there are projects that would greatly benefit from your help." Morgan did know some sorcery and alchemical arts but an expert he was not even if he'd been practicing it much more lately than he had before. His family's libraries and the one on Korriban proved immensely helpful in that regard but his teacher always insisted on him learning such things out in the galaxy.

The datacron would display something like first-step blueprints for three things. First was the shards of a sword and the blade it would become after being reforged. Second was a vast meditation chamber that, by the symbols, was intended for amplification of certain kinds of abilitiess. Third and final appeared at first to simply be a truly massive suit of armour, but from the detailed notes it was meant to be possessed by a artificial soul of sorts, crafted through a hypothetical melding of arts.

"Are you willing?"

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry couldn't deny her curiosity with the things she was seeing on the datacron as soon as he turned it on. Her demeanor shifted almost entirely as she began to examine its contents.

Typically, she exacted a price up front for her work, but the two of them had known one another long enough that she didn't feel that was necessary. It was a courtesy offered to very few and spoke to her respect for him, though whether he recognized it unknown to her.

Hm, she said, zooming in on the sword first and tilting her head to the side. She pulled up what text was available on it and read. She spent little time on that particular artifact. It would likely be a bit more hit or miss. She wasn't much of a forge worker herself, though with the proper assistance, she had made some Shadow-imbued tools before. She reckoned she could help the process along again.

Next, she scrolled on to the meditation chamber. Of the three items, it was the one that caught her attention the most. She recognized some of the symbols and runes that were made out within the chamber, but couldn't help noticing some seemed to be... missing.

Your purpose with this? she asked, frowning and not even looking at him. It was clear her mind was entirely wrapped up in the puzzle now. A challenge that she was all but captivated by. She leaned in closer, squinting at some of the other runes before humming another hm.

Finally, she moved to the armor. At first seemingly the least interesting of the trio, she realized after a moment that that was quite the incorrect assumption. Her curiosity when it came to the bond between spirit and blood and the act of binding one or the other to a single item immediately caught her attention. It was quite similar to her work with Malicia before the woman's untimely deposition.

Artificial won't work. You'll need the real thing, she said with a frown. And she guessed that - among other things - was the reason he had come to her.

Which would you like to start with? she asked, now turning to look at him. Her eyes now held a fire that they hadn't had before. The spark of innovation and excitement mixed with intensity.

 

[Darth Stolas]

Goldens paid close attention to the little movements the muscles of the Nightsisters face made as she looked over the plans. His head tilted ever so slightly to the side when she first looked at the sword. Those shards were very old, something she might be able to tell from the style of the edge if she studied that sort of thing. "I have some knowledge specific to that," he commented of the blade. It was something of a tradition passed down by his teacher, even if many in his family hadn't taken the option of making one.

"Unusual, yes?" Morgan asked with a hint of pride. "Distant sense and projection, focus of foresight." His finger indicated spots where symbols are missing. "Some custom work is required. There must be room for a chorus- a group of others to enhance it, if needed." From the notes, it should also be able to project Morgan's 'voice' on a larger scale, although what that meant wasn't entirely clear

He sighed softly. "I suspected. There are techniques for animation. They never last long." Morgan tutted irritably, his expression pensive as he considered the concept of using a true soul to animate the armoured construct. "What sort of soul would do?"

His eyes looked again at the list. The simplest and easiest fusion of their mixed skills would be the blade, the meditation chamber took the most design, and the armour the most research. Probably, at least. Morgan grinned over at Renfry, fangs flashing and a passion for such progress behind them to mirror her own.

"The sword," he simply said. "It will be useful sooner than the others." Morgan paused a moment, slender fingers tapping against the table in thought. He seems almost embarrassed for a moment.

"Would you have really let me take that grimoire on Dathomir?"

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She was still thinking, curious about what precisely that chamber was for. It was unusual and seemed to have not much by way of practical application, but he wasn't the type to do something that was a total waste of time.

Amplifying in conjunction with others, though, was an additional beast.

I'm sorry, a choir? she asked, thinking she had misheard him. For what? There was no question she was going to need a real answer for both personal and professional reasons.

As she flipped back over to the armor, she tilted her head back and forth in thought as she often did when weighing the pros and cons of something from a practical standpoint.

A warrior's spirit probably, she said after a moment. You want it to fight, those skills'll help. Korriban or Dathomir would be the easiest places to do the ritual. Felucia could work too, she said added after a moment. It was where they were and it was adequate, though perhaps not quite as ideal as the other two.

The sword it is, then, she said. We have forges here, she said. With a group of Nightsisters on world, they needed a means to maintain their physical weapons and the jungle Felucians often carried weapons forged with power.

Did you bring the pieces? she asked, starting to walk toward where she assumed his ship would be.

Before she made it out of the room, his question caught her off-guard. For a moment, she almost considered countering with her own question or giving a cryptic answer.

Probably, she said bluntly, though I'm not sure how much good it would have done you. She had looked through it and studied from it. For someone like her, it had value, but it contained more esoteric information that would have been quite unapproachable for many. In hindsight, she was glad she hadn't given it away, though. It was still a piece of her people. She wondered silently if the mention was to invoke a sense of indebtedness within her, but then realized she was probably being cynical.

Why? she decided to ask rather than second guess. She knew he enjoyed his games, but he also knew she tended to be a straightforward woman, particularly with her peers. He didn't seem to have found her intolerable yet.

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan smirked over at the nightsister. Her bemusement over the concept of a "choir" wasn't unexpected especially with that description. Renfry had seen Stolas fight, but only heard the echoes of old songs buried in the walls of his ship. She'd never heard them herself or seen the kinds of uses the Firrerreo could put them to.

"To sing." He raised a hand for patience. A slow breath was taken and the Force inhaled with him, the flow of the energy around him shifting and changing like the tuning of fine strings. Several seconds passed before he spoke again, the Force around him speaking along with him. There was no attempt to influence others in the room as it was only a demonstration, but it was as if the power flowing from and around Morgan vibrated and moved in harmony with his voice and his will in that moment.

"Many voices, one will." Carried on the sound came the march of boots, the snap of salutes, the emotions that came with victory and defeat. The chaos of combat and the calm order of command that set bloodthirsty and desperate soldiers into formation. Blades falling in time, shots fired in waves, the fire of courage burning bright to spur them all on.

Morgan smiled. It was almost funny to him, how when they'd first met he'd told Renfry he wasn't anyone worth noting. At the time, he wasn't. She was even stronger than him. How times change.

"Korriban will do." He didn't look happy about it, mostly because of the desert environment, but was the most likely to have an appropriate spirit for binding. "And, I did." From within his robes somewhere he pulled a small rolled leather satchel that he placed on the table. It was unclasped and unrolled, the remaining shards of an ancient weapon glinting in the light. Even broken, they were still sharp and sung with a thirst for battle and blood.

As for the grimoire, Morgan waved his hand idly through the air. "At the time I wasn't interested. Now I am. As I said, I seek magic."

@Phoenix