An old and familiar room

[Zail]

There are many places which I loathe to find myself. This room is certainly among them.

My office.

I am a man of action and, among many other things, a soldier. Yet I find myself here, in this room, more than even I care to admit.

"Master," my protocol droid says in that irritating, nails down a chalkboard voice of his, "at long last you have no appointments for today."

Finally. I grew tired of meeting people so full of themselves they make Nathiel look like a charity worker. The upcoming action the Claw was to take demanded focus but it also had almost as much red tape attached to it.

"Perhaps the first useful thing you've done," I answer. "I am going for a walk."

Gathering up my posessions I planned on a stroll through Kaas City. There was but one final detail that needed addressed.

As I moved past the protocol unit I hacked it apart with my lightsaber until all that was left was a molten pile of slag. Pulling and storing the memory unit from the droid I smirked.


Never knew who you could meet in the city...

[Iris]

Having arrived on Dromund Kaas with a load of live cargo to bring to market, Iris orders the Imperial authorities to treat the cargo with their usual familiarity.

Some of the soldiers here even seem to enjoy playing with my new toys, maybe I'll sell a few of them before they even get to the market.

In a pleasant mood accented by her movements, Iris hops off her speeder.

Clad in her usual attire, battle armor covering her frame, and a full rebreather-mask hiding her features. She wears, along with her two lightsabers, a third object at her side. To those unaware it may appear that she has a third lightsaber, but this is no ordinary lightsaber, it is a lightwhip.

She walks into town, smartly saluting the Imperial Authorities at the gates in her usual manner. She seems to feel familiarly as she walks to a man in the distance. Getting closer she recognizes her quarry, Darth Zail.

She extends an arm in a gesture of greeting, "Darth Zail," she loudly states, her rebreather putting a degree of an artificial menacing tone into her voice, "What a fine place to run into you..."

[Zail]

Zail gave a polite and very slight incline of his head in greeting, "Lord Strife. I found my office as confining as Apprenticship and wanted the freedom of a walk. The weather is perfect for it."

As usual, it was lightly raining in Kaas City. He gestured she might fall into step beside him, before turning and resuming his walk even if she elected not to walk with him.

"How has your assignment treated you? You've been absent a long while. Successful, I hope."

[Iris]

She takes up a stance lock step with his, "Yes, I was returning with a cargohold full of my success from far reaches of the galaxy, and I was on the way to my office as well. My operation is coming together well, I think -- and pending your approval I would like to open an office on Hutta. But other than that, I'm looking for Lieutenants to help me.

What have you been up to as of late, if you do not mind me asking -- Darth Zail?"

[Zail]

"I hold no objections to an operations base on Hutta, it has my blessing," he said as he folded his hands behind his back, barely acknowledging troopers and other citizens busying about their lives.

"As to what I have been doing, mostly I have felt the sting of loss of family. You no doubt heard of my sister's loss, after an excursion I have lost my younger brother and his new wife. That idiot redskin Fer'ras is not to blame for his loss. Those responsible for it I have... handled." His tone carried with it a sense of 'handling' most likely involved a lightsaber and severed body parts.

He purses his lips tightly together a moment, "At the moment I am free from most of my tasks and can focus upon trying to find the best locations to send our scouts and conduct operations against the Republic's interests. I wish I could report better successes but apart from those personal gains, I have little to show unit-wide. Morthyia continues to impress, as does Sai'ka, with recruiting efforts. I will join them in it in a day or two."

[Iris]

She bobs her red and black mask back at you, "Thank you, I will see it operational within one standard week."

As you're walking with her, a citizen of Kaas is too slow to move out of her way. She Force pushes the individual onto the ground with a single flick of her wrist, completely moving him out of her way -- without missing a single step of yours.

"The Force tells me that our success here will bring us to victory. And no, I have not heard of these individuals. It makes me glad to hear you have dealt with them -- and makes me feel fortunate I have no issues as that one."

She points at a passing Caf stand on the side of the road, "Shall we stop for a cup of hot Caffa?"

[Zail]

Zail nods, moving to the establishment. He doesn't wait to be lead to a table, he simply chooses one. The waitress doesn't ask what he would like, she simply presents him with a cup.

Zail removes his mask, tucking it into the small pocket of his robe he keeps it in when it's not on. He rubs his hands over his face before pulling his hood back.

A rare sight, for him to show it.

"A standard week is acceptable. Order what you like, I'll buy."

[Iris]

Iris takes the seat opposite from Zail. She reaches behind her mask, flips the clasps -- the sound of depressurization as the mask folds open -- she rolls it off to her right and sets the heavy object down on the table.

She removes a glove from her right hand and runs that same hand through the hair on the back of her head, making sure the short cut is appropriately pushed toward the back of her head.

She gives the waiter a little force push to get her attention, "One Caffa," she declares as her order.

[Lord Morthyia]

Darth Nox arrives on the outskirts of Kaas City via his peronal speeder, piloted by Talos.

"Return to the ship and await further orders. And be sure to tell 2V-R8 that if he starts altering the ship again without my approval. he'll be a scrap pile by the day's end."

Lord Morthyia enters the bustling city clad in his usual attire, deep steel gray robes of duraweave that he had custom made in conjunction with his appointment to the Dark Council, his pale, red face void of any emotion. His lightsaber hangs low at his hip near a brown pouch on his belt, emitting a slight purple aura.

As he strolls towards the Sith Sanctum and his personal office, he sees two familiar faces at a nearby table. Checking his personal datapad, he mutters to himself :

"I have a few minutes to spare, these silly council ledgers can wait until i've had a drink."

Lord Morthyia approaches Zail and Iris at their table and observes the waiter shuffle forward as if being shoved by someone. Without missing a beat or even looking up, Lord Morthyia snarls at her:

"Bring me the usual."

Lord Morthyia approaches the table with a certain ice-cold presence and casually asks:

"I hope i'm not interrupting something terribly important?"

[Zail]

"Two officers in one afternoon, I'm not about to be replaced am I?" Zail asked with a wide grin on his face, motioning to a free chair.

"No, you're not interrupting, I simply needed reprieve from the prison I call an office. Both of you, tell me some good news, I could use my spirits lifted after dealing with red tape, paperwork, and datapads. How did your work on Alderaan go?"

[Iris]

"Good news?" She sits drinking her Kaf for a moment. "The training of my newest slaver is going swimmingly -- and another of the division, Janis, seems like a natural. I sent them after two runaway slaves from the Vantu Clan and they captured them without missing a beat. Following that, I promoted Janis to Petty Chief Slaver for her efforts."

"Executive Finances is starting to grow wings, soon it will take off and make endless credits for your Army -- your Darkness."

[Lord Morthyia]

Lord Morthyia takes the nearest chair and turns it to face towards the street, an instictive habit of keeping his back to a wall and all potential threats in front of him that he has accrued over the years.

"Good news....good news...." Lord Morthyia pauses for a moment, pondering. "I generally am not in the business of reporting good news. I do, however, believe I can sate your apetite for the time being. Over the course of the last week, I sent my apprentice as well as several of my personal crew members out on tasks throughout several planets of the Outer Rim system. Almost all have reported back that my research was indeed correct - each planet holds at least one, if not more, ancient datacrons with valuable information contained within."

Lord Morthyia eyes the waitress as she returns with a cup of his preferred drink, Jawa Juice, and takes the drink from her before immediately ushering her away from the table.

"I'll need a few more days to assess the findings and try to pinpoint their exact locations, but I believe that these may hold some valuable information that may assist us to stand against the Republic. Aside from that, you know the usual - Dark Council politics and endless paperwork."

Lord Morthyia takes a swig from his drink before placing it on the table and leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed.

[Iris]

"Lord Morthyia, I don't mean to intrude in your affairs -- but what of the Sith Presence? Ancient relics that may one day be of assistance to perhaps a few members of the Onyx Claw are well and good, but -- I am interested to know of the Sith Presence, you being the Ascended One the Dark Council and Darth Zail approved for this task..."

She quietly sips her kaffa and waits for a reply.

[Lord Morthyia]

Lord Morthyia raises an eyebrow at the boldness of such a question, but bites his tongue for the time being, and leans forward, arms resting on the table in front of him - eyes changing from a dark orange glow to a deep, burning red.

"I am currently in the process of recruitment for my organization and as our numbers begin to grow, so will our power and knowledge. Keep in mind that I need Sith with true power and a hunger for the Dark Side, not some feable, force-sensitive acolyte that thinks he is powerful just because he can swing around a training blade."

Lord Morthyia takes another sip from his drink, emptying the glass and setting it back onto the table to a loud thud.

"As with the organization as a whole, recruitment will be slower than we would like at first, we are still beginning to bolster our numbers. Once we begin growing in numbers, our power will also grow which will flock more to our cause.

This is a pursuit that will require relentless efforts on our part in order to keep up with the demand as well as the losses we will suffer along the way. As for further information on the matter, my agenda is my own and I will continue to do what is absolutely necessary to keep the mission at hand in our best interest."

Lord Morthyia leans back in his chair once more, as his eyes return to his usual dark, orange glow.

[Iris]

Flashes a smirk at Lord Morthyia. She finishes her Kaffa while he was explaining, and gave the waiter a Force-nudge for her to get another. She seems satisfied with that, "I know the feeling. It is a pity I am forced to work with Slaves and Slavers -- my passion for the power of the Dark Side is deep. I would enhance your organization by challenging you immediately. Not only this, but I feel I should have a place on the Dark Council -- I am more powerful than you, after all."