Log:That's Insane, I'm In
Clan Kora and Shadowport meet on the satellite Spice Terminus to discuss a coordinated assault on Umbara of insane proportions.
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That's Insane, I'm In
OOC Date: January 27, 2022
Location: Spice Terminus
Participants: Valeska Kora (GM), Zhu Yan, Sumi Kora, Hadrix Kora, Netep Muri, Hahtavi Kora, Jexa, Zevin Daodhri, Evie Leven, B'haav Adasta, Fae Renta, Aejin, Zee'Roh Kora, Clan Kora, Shadowport
--Valeska Kora--
Lady Silk's lounge isn't exactly the backdrop one might expect for a meeting such at this, but it's the location that has been selected based purely on tactical planning. Purely. It had nothing to do with the fact that most neutral venues said 'hell no' to the idea and the only reason they've ended up here is because they agreed put credits down on food and drinks. Enough to cover the cost of rending a side room that is often reserved for bachelor parties and 'business trips.'
The music from outside can still be heard, filtered through the speakers so that any working girl can strut her stuff to a decent rhythm. Alas, there are no working girls present at this particular meeting. If you've come for a dance, you'll likely have to wait until the dealings are done. Or just bail early and stuff some chits into a g-string. The meeting is a mixture of loose and tense by virtue (or lack thereof) of those present.
The couches and chairs have been moved into a circle for those wishing to sit. There is also various bar foods on a long table in the back. Barbarque wings. Deep-fried poultry strips. Little spudroot pockets with sour cream. The thin cuts of stalk root veggies are mostly there for show, but may also be edible. The booze is cheap but plentiful and a window looking out dominates the curvature of the outer wall.
All in all, a lovely if wholly inappropriate meeting of these two highly unpredictable groups.
--Zhu Yan--
"HRRRRNNNNNNGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
This was the eloquent dissertation from the short, almost-fat man for whom grooming was something of an afterthought pushing a large crate-looking device on a holosled not rated for the weight through the gap in the chairs into the middle of the circle. He was also overdressed for hard work, with a brown fluffy-collared jacket hiding most of his pudgy frame. He was sweating a metaphorical river and quietly swearing up a storm in three separate languages. With the amount of effort he was putting in, you'd think he was giving birth.
"HRRRNGH!" was another sharp push and the machine finally floated to the middle of the circle. Wiping his brow with one hand, the diminuitive smuggler hit a button on the side of the holosled and it went THUD to the ground. Then, he pulled cables from the side of the box, snaked them through chairs and people with a "scusemesorryscusemesorrycomingthroughsorryscuseme" and plugged them into power outlets.
The old holoprojector hummed to life, and Zhu Yan breathed a sigh of relief.
--Jexa--
Jexa's decked out in her new heavy Mando armor. Buttoned up and sealed, doing a nice job of lending her a level of anonymity. Not that many people know who she is. Regardless, she's been keeping quiet to herself. Mostly watching and observing, as she leans the intricasies of Mando tactics. But there's also a rhythmic bobbing of her head, and the occasional foot tap. And anybody who gets close enough can hear hear the muted sounds of the music she has blaring inside of her helmet. It's very bass heavy and rhythmic, and the head bobbing is done in time to the bass beats. The important thing is, it's drowning out the local musical ambience.
Or was. Messing with the AR HUD in her helmet, the music is switched off. She'll move over to find a nice piece of wall to hold up, leaning on it as her E-11 jangles against her chest. Nothing is said, no greetings are given. She just exists in this space, quietly waiting and watching.
--Zevin Daodhri--
"-hardly gonna get along with us if they see a big crowd o' helmets." Zevin has grabbed a plate and has picked up some of the barbecue wings, as he talks to Fae. "If it goes bad, I'll jus' put it back on." His helmet is under his elbow, revealing the half-Echani's blue eyes and 'icy salt'-and-pepper buzzcut.
The fact that it's easier to eat this way surely does not cloud his tactical judgment. Not for long, anyway, because when he takes a bite into the wing, he winces slightly. He doesn't stop eating it, though. Food is food.
He settles himself into one of the couches, going for one towards a corner with a view of the entrance, sitting. "These'll definitely go first. I'll grab a spot.." Smuggler paranoia and mercenary paranoia - a match made in hell. He is nevertheless affable, making eye contact with their 'hosts' and offering slight smiles.
--Sumi Kora--
Sumi Kora arrived with a small army of Mandalorians at her back. It was not the arrival of marching feet but more a group of stalking hunters. Sumi is among the shortest of the clan, standing tall in reputation alone, and maybe the loudest of the 'stalking' group as her heavy bootfalls betray the percussion of her approach as a sound that jingles with each step. Spent casings left to rattle around her dump pouch sound more spurs than jingling brass, but as Sumi rode nothing (presumably), it didn't make sense she'd wear spurs. She has a cape on, tattered a bit, and concealing a good bit of hardware, and her helmet is on. A jetpack is seated on her back, its missile warhead tip peeking over the crest of her helmet between the pointed feline ear antennas Sumi uses to stay uplinked with the BHG network.
Arriving at the place, Sumi steps inside without much ceremony and pauses when she recognizes the place as the same location she and Lord Oran Arcantael ambushed a member of the Resistance, dismembered them, and mailed them back to Naboo with a postcard.
<"Ahh.. good memories, here.."> She says, her raspy voice conveying a sense of nostalgia.
--B'haav Adasta--
In one of the back corners, positioned on a chair with no vantage point to the dancers and working folk elsewhere, is a secret Balosar called B'haav Adasta. From the black bowler hat and silver feather, to the pitch black Hapan suit, to the gleaming silver cane on which his right hand rests, he looks like one of the businessmen who belong out there throwing credit chits and fortunes away for attention. But he's not out there.
B'haav reaches forward, shifting the cane to his inside arm and takes a sip of the mug of tea sitting in front of him. The sip is extended in length as he watches Yan's hairy, harrowing journey with the holosled. By the time he considers possibly offering some help, the Fauxrellian disengages the lift and goes about doing the hooking up business. Not the kind of hooking up elsewhere in the joint. After Yan passes for the power outlet, though... "Zhu Yan, do you need any assistance?" Gravelly voice raises over the background sound.
--Netep Muri--
Lady Silk's lounge the backdrop one might expect, but it IS convenient as hell. Not only is this Netep Muri's backyard, but she's got VIP priviledges up in here. Which explains why she hasn't slept in the past 24 hrs, though in her defense she WAS en route to her hole when she got the summons from SP...and opted to go noodle-hoppin instead through three of her favorite vendors in this station.
Refueled and two percent more coherent than she was a few hours earlier, Netep comes jangling through the doors into their specially-reserved space, refresher cocktail already in hand. Her sweat might be flammable, at this point. "Chumanis....khasann'I." A greeting for one and all, slurred around her tongue's dance with its straw, as she strut-sways to the circle and through it. Unsteady heels somehow navigate Yan's dastardly cords without incident - it's like she chose /those/ gaps to navigate through though, strictly for the challenge. Rather than occupy a chair, she keeps walking, all the way to the viewport's edge and plants her back against it. Luxuriating in the coolness against her skin. Sliiiiides down to her rumpus and kicks one leg after the other out in front of her.
Comfy. Sleep? Azure lashes close for now.
--Hadrix Kora--
Past the doors and into the club proper while the scraggly haired man is trying to set up antiquated equipment - the fully armored and helmed figure of Al'Verde Kora drifts past the slowly clearing out crowds. Head turning a slow arc to take in the room while the walking locker keeps pace with Sumi, moving at her five O'clock with the distinct lack of sound to his step in contrast to the chief's heavy tread.
<"I think this is the first time I've been in this part of the station."> Hadrix emits and looks up to the ID10 hovering at his shoulder, jerking his head and sending the matte black droid up and above the whole affair - the primary red optical looking from face to face, legs partially retracted while she hovers.
The big man himself just goes still when Sumi has stopped, an iridescent purple statue looming over the other.
--Hahtavi Kora--
Hahtavi Kora has arrived in this place he's stuck his bucket into once before, though never actually set foot in it. He does so now wearing his usual black armor, jetpack, rifles and the whole usual kit. He too makes his way in and pauses to hold up a wall and merely stand there, folding his arms over his armored chest while his T-visored helm's optics pick up all kinds of data, marking targets to track, noting all possible exits, points of solid cover, and so forth.
Jexa is noted in her new armor - if only because she's carrying the modified E-11 he gave her, assuming she hasn't changed it drastically already.
For the moment, Hahtavi Kora doesn't go after food or drink. He's much too interested in scoping the place out in case the shit hits the fan and it becomes a blood bath. Just in case. After a long moment, he starts walking around to check all the various nooks, other rooms he can access, see where the exits seem to go. Generally case the place.
--Zee'Roh Kora--
Zee'Roh is in step just back from Sumi, oposite to Hadrix, rifle slung across her chest with her arm laid across the gun-stalk and her hand laid safely on the trigger guard. Physical safety. She's otherwise quiet. Likely the quietest of the group, despite the heavy armor, her footfalls are light and her armor shimmers against the shifting lights of the Silk club. Built in camo plates cause light to shift and bend, save the poncho worn tattered across her chest.
Though it is certainly not what Sumi refers to, the master slicers T-Visor circles the lounge taking in the glamors, <"This is where we met."> And killed a bunch of people. Good memories indeed.
--Fae Renta--
Fae Renta walked into the place sans helmet. It was dangling from a little clip at her side and now rests directly on the table in front of the couch Zevin and she have settled on. A delicate afghan the color somewhere between blue and purple wraps around her neck, doubling as a sort of short cloak behind her. Not much of one, though. If there's a reason why she never bothered putting on her helmet, her prettied-up blonde hair and elegant makeup might give some indication.
Fae watches the man take a bite out of the chicken wing and continue to eat it anyway. Her nose sort of wrinkles up in quiet distaste, but she doesn't comment on it. Instead, she raises a gauntlet-covered hand to idly fuss with the end of her elegantly-braided ponytail. Those blonde ends are lifted towards a slowly-strobing light with a bunch of g-string booties waving in the background. A lot of checking of split ends.
"Mmmmmh, that would be so boring and predictable. I hope we all have a nice chat, eat some snacks, and find a way to work together. Wouldn't that be novel," she says, and finally, the smell of the chicken wings gets to her and she drops her ponytail to turn those smokey-eyes in Zevin's direction again.
"-What- is that, anyway? It's making me nauseous," Fae complains. Crosses her legs. Folds her arms. Pouts. Full shebang. She spots Sumi, Hahtavi, Jexa, and a whole schloo of other folks she recognizes. And then there's Yan, groaning and grunting while he drags something across the room.
"Go and help him," she says, swatting Zevin on the arm.
--Evie Kora--
She's been a pin-up model with posters plastered on the walls of First Order barracks to inspire the troops. She's been an infamous traitor at the moment that saw the Emperor himself fall (again). She was the first female winner of the Boonta Eve Classic, and her reputation precedes her as the Empress of the Void. Today, she's a woman in fashionable blue armor -- sans helmet -- with a bright smile worn across her lips, walking with a practiced grace across the floor. Evie's not saying anything, not yet at least. She's in business mode, and it's not her time to break the silence. Well. Her own silence, anyways.
--Aejin--
While the mingling is preparing to take place, Aejin's working security for the evening. Which means that the one in the golden Dreadfinder armor is still sporting his helmet and lingering near the doorway, prepared to handle any potential interruptions to the closed event. Festooned with all manner of weaponry, it seems that Aejin is prepared to handle things nicely to begin with should that privacy be violated. He's not actively holding a weapon. So that's plenty of nice for one intruder. The passage of Eevie earns a silent, stoic nod from the Mandalorian's gold-and-blood helmet before his attention begins to shift over the gathering, and then ultimately back to the doorway which he stands a couple yards aside.
--Valeska Kora--
Marching in step behind Sumi, Valeska arrives amongst the others without much fanfare. She's not mastered the art of fanfare. Not even the cape is flashy enough to muster it. But she has wrangled herself a hip-heavy stride that sways her back and forth as she walks up to the circle of chairs and leans on the back of one, gloves gripping the upholstery as she tries not to think about how often send furniture is cleaned. She peers at the hunk of metal that is in the circle of the chairs and the sweating man wiping his brow next to it
<"Should I even ask?"> The vocoder filters her voice but can do nothing to even out the Dantooine accent that drawls through it. She opts /not/ to ask. <"Right, then. As many of you are aware, over the past several months, Clan Kora has been dealing with a persistent thorn in our sides. A nasty group based out of Umbara. Things are..."> The crimson-painted helmet turns to look at Sumi and Hadrix a moment then back to those assembled <"... about to wrap up with that, yeah? But the grand finale is proving a little overly-complicated. So much so we've extended a hand out to Shadowport in those hopes that a mutually beneficial endeavour can be reached."> And for now, she goes quiet in case others want to pipe in.
--Zhu Yan--
"What?" Yan looked up from where he was slouched over the holo-display. "Oh yeah, nah, all good, it's working." The short definitely-not-a-Mandalorian was picking at his shirt underneath The Jacket, trying to unstick the sweaty bits from him. At no point did it occur to him to /deign/ to take off said Jacket. That would be unseemly, and against his idiom. While the hip heavy Kora who's name he'd forgotten did her speech thing, Yan smacked the side of the holoprojector and a big glowing ball of Umbara appeared in the room.
It was at the point that their gracious host stopped talking that Yan realized he was up. "Huh? Oh, right. Okay. So." He stepped back, cleared his throat loudly, and pointed to the holoprojection. "That is Umbara. A tough nut to crack even for you guys with your big guns and your... stuff." Unaccustomed as Yan was to public speaking, he was making a good go of it. "Um, right. Essentially, the reason we're all here is that I had a totally separate idea for an illegal death rally that would make a lot of money on advertising and bets." Now that he was speaking the language of the almighty credit, his confidence was coming back. "So! I want to do both. Run the rally on Umbara, loudly, as cover-slash-distraction for a planetary invasion."
--Netep Muri--
"An Umbarran slit my throat on my own bloody ship, once..." Netep mumbles from her poor vantage point, nursing what's left of the icy drink. "Skinny, that one...thought was a starweird."
Obviously the stowaway hadn't cut deep enough, as the under-slept, over-indulged Cap'n Muri is still alive and loquacious enough to regale all who do not care to know.
Yan speaks and normally the noise produced wouldn't be enough to warrant the full focus of Muri's attention, but the words 'death rally' doooo tickle deep enough in her ears to lean the little halfbreed forward from her slouch. Get her up her knees, even, and from there, a slow shamble forward to leer at the glowy glowy orb.
--Jexa--
Jexa remains in place, T-visored helmet scanning the room and those non-Mandalorian's that have come in. She doesn't move from her spot on the wall, which would be opposite the entrance into the room. She does shift her weight, though, moving the rifle slung across her chest some. She has one arm draped over the back of the weapon, within quick grabbing distance should things get... interesting. Her other arm hands by her side. Her attention will shift to the presentation, first by Val then by the little sweaty fat guy. And his big floating orb thing.
--Sumi Kora--
Sumi smirks when Zee recounts their meeting here long ago. That seemed like a lifetime ago, but everything to Sumi seemed a lifetime ago. <"That was a good fight, too."> A small fist raps off the side of Zee's pauldron in solidarity. When Hadrix mentions never being this far on the station, Sumi chuckles, <"It's a step above the trash compactor. Hmph."> The 'hmph' is a huff of amusement.
Sumi joins the circle and claims a seat, sprawling back lazily to look between the two speaks and the holo projected image. <"A distraction and invasion? What is the plan to see this ambition through?"> Sumi's arms drape along the back of her couch.
--B'haav Adasta--
B'haav's steel-grey eyes watch behind those Tetan goggles, seeing Umbara pulling up before the Holo kicks on, courtesy of his uplink. "So it's not about acquisitions?" The Balosar sits back, having already made certain he had one of the cleaner chairs in the room. "And we don't have to be involved in the actual... cracking of the nut, to quote my colleague?" He turns to the Lorrdian at the window, eye'ing Muri for a long moment as he clearly remembered that day. He looks back to Yan.
"Zhu Yan, I assume this deathrace is not the kind that's going to have all the proper paperwork filed and it's better if nobody knows who's running it?"
--Hahtavi Kora--
It is going to take him a little while, and there's no way he can be really thorough about it properly without having come at least a day or two early and torn the place apart, using electronics scanners and the like. Things the owners would never have let him have access to do. So, Hahtavi does what looking around he can to check for anything obvious while the others start settling in.
Catching what Netep Muri says, Hahtavi stops and turns his helmet to look at her. Huh. Who knew? They sort of have something in common. He doesn't comment, however.
Eventually, the black armored Mando comes to stop next to Jexa and parks his shebs up against the wall. Hahtavi listens to the start of the briefing.
--Fae Renta--
Fae's slugthrower is resting barrel-up at her side. She's got one leg folded across the other, one hand making sure that gun stays upright while the other rests on that topmost thigh. She watches Valeska's introduction and then Zhu Yan's elaboration with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. Eventually, she decides she to join the circle and grab a chair amongst those settled.
"I want to know more about the death rally," Fae chimes in, helpful as ever. The sets that rifle back down beside her and re-crosses her legs, peering expectantly up at Zhu Yan now with an expression that says 'please tell me more about the death rally'.
--Zevin Daodhri--
"I don't know," Zevin says. He's talking to Fae about the wings of uncertain nature but definite provenance: from the kitchen of a strip joint. Kind of self-explanatory, when you think about it. He makes no move to get up to help Yan with his holo projector.
He looks from Yan's face to the holo of Umbara and back. He holds up a finger, dabs at this lips with a napkin before lowering it. "I'd love to hear the plan. Can it include the reason we're invadin'? Smash an' grab, conquest, makin' a statement, whatever."
He grabs a cup of water and takes a sip to wash the taste of the wings out of his mouth, and he sets the plate down on the floor. Enough is enough.
--Hadrix Kora--
<"Correct, Sumi'Alor, because Umbaran planetary security is in their pocket it would then turn their attention to Shadow Port's dealings long enough for us to initialize our assault, forcing them to either split their forces or turn around and give up on the rally racers to come after us."> Hadrix's breaking ice voice carries through his vocalizer, aristocratic Coruscanti lilt steadfast against the intent of the speakers to distort it.
<"I have two of Blackout's number, one a nobody and the other the one they called the Architect or some stupid drek like that."> Gripper's holoemitters engage and freeze frames of two men, looking terrified appear next to the planet's image. <"I've been making inquiries and information leaked by them and others taken when Sumi and I did a flash raid matches up."> his tone heavily implying that they may actually still be alive.
<"So I can give some point to point locations for the race, to maximize how far out they have to travel. Thin their lines."> his visor turning to Zevin, <"We're going to kill them. Because they tried to kill us, so we're killing them back and harder.">
--Valeska Kora--
Valeska's buckethead tilts to the side, getting her first real, direct taste of the entity known as Zhu Yan. So far, he's lived up to the reputation though she's polite enough -- right now -- not to say what reputation that is. <"A planetary-wide distractionn. Or at least a huge part of the sector where the headquarters is located, yeah? With local security busy with--" She waves a hand at the holoprojector and the idea of a death race, as well "--this, it would keep them out of our hair. I would assume Blackout knows we're coming already. More security on top of it--- we don't need that kinda heat."
Towards the members of Shadowport -- the ones not in Mando armour; easy to spot in this crowd -- she leans forward onto the chair. "And this Death Race... is it like swoop racing but illegal?"
--Netep Muri--
One man's discards are one woman's buffet hack. While everyone's engaged productively in the listening and querying, a slender, brown arm softly aglow with tendrils of tattooed vine snakes around a foot of the couch...
Zevin's plate of partially-eaten wings is dragged sloooooowly across the not-shampooed-enough carpet to land within Muri's personal bubble of Lorddian shimmer. Of all the species-specific traits inherited from her mother, the Lorrdian citrus'n'spice'n'wtfisthat eau de parfum is undoubtedly the most distinct.
Netep makes short work of one of the wings, like it's what she has for breakfast most afternoons.
--Zhu Yan--
"I mean, we don't have to?" said Yan to Bav with a big melodramatic shrug and a funny facial expression, the statement itself sounding like a question. "And to be fair, when have I ever done paperwork?" Has anyone ever seen Yan's handwriting and lived to tell the tale? Some things are not for mortal minds to comprehend. Stepping away from the holoprojector, Yan steeled himself into his sales pitch. "The death rally, name tee-bee-dee, is a high-speed point-to-point race taking place over a long period, winner being the person who crosses the finish line first. It is /hilariously/ illegal. How you get there is up to you, but the Umbaran PDF is going to be a hell of a deterrent and require clever as well as quick routes to the finish line. Which I'll get to later."
Yan was pacing now, his face scrunching up in thought, with his hands behind his back. "'s much as I hate to say it, the meathead is right." Love you, Hadrix. "It is imperative that the Umbaran leadership is /fully/ and /painfully/ aware of this illegal death race taking place on their planet, so everything they position to stop it will be blindsided by a full-scale Mandalorian assault." There was a wry expression of it-is-what-it-is and another shrug, followed by, "It's bait."
"Oh yeah one more thing," Yan interjected. "Can someone highlight on here where the planetary defences will be coordinated? The best spot for a headshot strike."
--Fae Renta--
Fae is here for the death rally. She stated it fairly plainly. She folds her arms over her chest and blinks up to Zhu Yan as he goes through the motions. There are a lot of good adjectives being thrown around. Hilariously illegal is a good one -- it makes Fae's whole face light up in a smile. She uncrosses her arms from her chest and clasps both hands together, lacing fingers. "Oh, I love that!" she says, about the death rally. Fae likes weird things.
There is other talk, too. Killing people harderer. Invasions. Reality begins to set in for poor Fae -- the realization that she'll probably be too busy killing people hardererer (or at least flying other people to do the killing) to watch the death rally. Her smile and optimism: gone.
"How long will the death rally last?" is her next question. Pointed, but left unfinished. Like... 'The whole invasion, orrrr?'
--Valeska Kora--
Valeska is pondering and pondering. Does anyone smell burning wires? No... no, those are the double-spicy wings on the table. <"So, the idea is to run this race and pull the attention of the security. Force them into chokepoints and we take care of them. Then at some point, we regroup and hit our target while the second half of the race tears through the Umbaran countryside?"> Countryside being thick jungles of man-eating plants, but hey.
--B'haav Adasta--
"Honestly Zhu Yan, I wasn't expecting you to do the paperowrk." Despite the dry tone, the Balosar sits forward with the twist of a smile on his lips and his cane shifts hands again as he leans forward. "Are we in the race, or are we the facilitators and coordinators?" He looks around to all the Mandalorians in the room, some of whom he knows, more of whom he's seen, and others not on his radar. "I only ask because it'd be good to know how much risk we're taking on." Taking up the cup of tea, B'haav sits back again, taking in as much information as he can - listening is what he does.
[ Aejin (AJ)]~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Aejin remains quiet. There are plenty of speakers and it seems that the Rattataki has no reason or purpose in joining their august company. For his part Aejin spares the occasional glance toward the discussion, but inevitably his attention drifts back to regard the private chamber's door. He can listen while looking elsewhere. Super talented.
--Zee'Roh Kora--
Zee'Roh is just here for show.
Watching information shared scrowl across screens.
<"So we're going to throw a party to distract planetary security while we go down there and invade? I have no doubt that Shadowport is perfectly capable of holding death races, I'm not even questioning whether it will attract a lot of people, but I am supremely dubious on whether it will create a big enough window for us to sneak an invasion force onto a planet. And if it does? They're stupid... they're stupid and we didn't need the distraction in the first place.">
--Jexa--
<"So the plan hinges on them reacting and placing forces just the way we want them?"> Jexa's helmet voice box thingy intones, distorting much of the emotional inflection in her voice. Blessedly. <"I've not done anything of this size, but on a smaller scale that never fething happens. Your plan hinges on them leaving their flanks exposed, which no military force worth their salt will do. And also luring them into choke points, which may work once or twice unless you disable their coms. Tht is, unless you know the commander is massively incompetent..."> And there she trails off, shifting her weight again. Heavy armor is hell on your knees.
--Zhu Yan--
"Absolutely correct, Miss Kora Lady. And, not sneaking, /distracting/. It's shock and awe to draw attention from another shock and awe. We're taking refuge in audacity, here, and making them fork their attention between a small threat they know about and a big one they most certainly don't." The tiny smuggler clapped his hands together with an expression of malicious glee. "Speaking of audacity, I don't have an army, but what I have are force multipliers. I have a /lot/ of force multipliers."
Yan's smile had way too many teeth.
"One of those force multipliers iiiiiiiiisssssssssssss..." he turned back to the holoprojector and pressed button after button after button, causing the image to wink, fuzz, hiccup, and splat, before it eventually disappeared. "Iiiiisssssss..." BLZHT. Replacing Umbara was a spaceship, a giant flying wing design that was as wide as it was flat. "THIS!" Zhu Yan waved at the ship dramatically and with gravitas. "This is the Planet Smasher. It is called the Planet Smasher because it smashes planets. I've got the specs if anyone wants to see them, it lives up to the name." That malicious smile never disappeared, and made Yan look like a crazy bum that had been living in a cardboard box on Nar Shaddaa for three years. Brown eyes glinted menacingly in the glow of the projector.
Dramatic pause.
"The finish line will be the crater left behind from the headshot strike it will be performing approximately two hours after the race begins." Letting that sink in for a moment, Yan turned to Bav and said, "You wanna race, you go race, be my guest, but I'm coordinating this one."
--Hadrix Kora--
<"Gripper.">
"Seriously?"
... The T-visor is aimed at the droid, red glow in the right branch flaring, <"... Yes."> the pair staring at one another before the droid descends and begins hunting around,
"This thing is so old." one attempt to utilize her probe resulting in blue sparks and a claw being shaken. And then another of similar with a bit of blue electricity arching over her. "For... Kriffing..." At long last she gets things accessed on the archaic holoprojector, muttering while Hadrix begins tapping keys on his vambrace - creating a series of red dots to appear with dotted connectors that appear as he speaks.
<"Based on gathered intelligence - primary defense point are along these routes - meaning that an air-drop for the racers along these lines,"> golden lines now appearing with a starting circle, <"And traverse as such will put the race close enough to these storage depots"> blue icons appearing now, <"That they'll get twitchy and start mobilizing.">
Looking then to Zero, head canting to one side, <"We're not sneaking. Ori'Zee. Iviin'Jurkad"> Blitz Strike <"We're going in hard and making their eyes water.">
--Fae Renta--
"Nobody really -needs- a distraction, Zee," Fae says sideways to Zee'Roh. She uncrosses her legs and rocks forward a little in her chair. It's clear that this armor isn't a second skin to her like it is for so many others. It's bulky. Weighty, but she makes it work. Fingertips reach up to gently pinch at the afghan around her neck and lift it up to cover her lips. Idle fidgeting. She brushes that soft fabric against her upper lip, attention wandering away from the conversation until Yan says the word 'planet smasher'. Fae perks up, recrosses her legs, and turns her torso towards the projection of the aforementioned ship.
"I would like to," Fae chimes in with regards to the specs. "I'd like to very much, I think," she says.
--Zee'Roh Kora--
<"We're going in hard under the cover of a distraction. A surprise attack hinges on them being distracted, which might not be the same as putting on a cloak and wading in through the waterline, but it certainly is sneaking."> Zee is unflinching, visor fixed on the image of the planet smasher. Two fingers rise off her weapon to point at the image, <"THAT is a distraction. Why didn't you lead with this?">
--Netep Muri--
"I'll race." Twist her arm, right? Netep lets a bone drop from her fingers to plate and slurps those fingers clean one..by..one. "Or...something what doesn't directly involve makin' somebody dead, cus..."
- Snerkt*
"Do I look like a bloody warrior, hey?" No, Muri. No one has accused you of such competence in the martial arts. "You need a driver, a pilot, a repair technician, decipherin? of texts, discernment of truth, or findin? of lost things, I?m your gal, but...figure y'all got the invasion bits sorted among yerselves, yeah?" A dismissive little fingerwave goes to those nearest in armor, then to the plate for another wing. Choosy choosy.
And then Yan's planet smasher is brought to light. "Or....that. That's..." Murder on a *massive* scale. Does Muri suddenly look a touch more sober?
--Valeska Kora--
<"We're not invading the /planet./"> Valeska points out with a soft sigh that sounds all wrong through a vocoder. That sigh turns into an arrested little sound of.. something. A gulp? A hiss of air. Something called a Planet Smasher is definitely someting that warrants some clarification. She looks over towards Sumi and Hadrix again. <"We're not invading an entire planet, are we? I thought we were just going to hit Blackout Headquarters. If we put a crater into the surface, we're going to have a lot worse to deal with than what we're taking care of now."> Then again.... it's the Death Race that's making the crater...
--Evie Kora--
"Not gonna lie, that death rally sounds like a lot of fun." Evie chimes in. "Put together kind of glorious murder-sled and just..." Evie trails off after a couple moments, looking over towards Zee'roh at her comment. The smile that was already wide seems to have spread another couple of inches.
"What if we don't sneak? What if a pretty face just needs a pit crew with a set of talents that have nothing related to racing?" the small woman in blue suggests, rocking back and forth slightly from toes to heels. Although her movements change to getting a closer look at the Planet Smasher. She may be a great many things, but she was raised a shipwright. This appeals to a great many of her interests all in one.
"Yes. I'd absolutely love a peek at those specs."
--Jexa--
Jexa's words go unheard and unheadd, and she slips back into silence. There's another shift of her weight, moving it from one leg to the other. She's top it off with arms crossing over her chest, weight resting on the rifle that's slung just below where those arms come to rest.
--Hahtavi Kora--
Hahtavi Kora has nothing to say at this stage. He is only listening and watching, like Aejin over there who's got the entrance secured. Haht's holding up the wall and providing an important service doing it with Jexa. Unlike her though, he continues to say nothing. Let the others thrash it out and if he has something he feels is useful to interject then perhaps he will. An unseen brow does arch at the whole 'Planet Smasher' stuff and it isn't until Valeska herself speaks up to make a very intelligent point. He turns his visor to look her direction even if he can see her without doing so.
A moment later, Hahtavi turns his helm back and makes a subtle hand gesture to Jexa, his other arm folded over his chest partly obscuring it.
--Zhu Yan--
Yan's face crinkled in surprise, and he turned to the host of the day with the crimson helmet. "Wait we're not doing a planetary invasion? I thought you said we were!" It's entirely possible Yan had misheard. In fact what had likely happened was that Yan had seen an opportunity to bomb something, taken it, and hadn't paid attention to a word that had been said as his need to cause untold amounts of property damage asserted itself. It was a charmingly common occurrence.
There were a few blinks of silence as Yan crunched numbers, and he turned back to the hijacked holo that was back to displaying Umbara. He made a point to not thank Hadrix later. "Alright still works. Okay. So. We end the race at Blackout Headquarters, drop..." he was counting on his fingers, "however many bombs on it we need, certainly not enough to smash a planet," restraint! "and basically combine a headshot strike with a spectacle." It was always about big things from the small man. "I mean, this is the planning meeting, it's not exactly locked in yet."
--Sumi Kora--
<"A good punch to the nose, then."> Sumi comments, then grows quiet as members of the clan express their doubt and concern about the plan.
As more comes to light, Sumi rises back up. <"I will go where the fighting is thickest. I'm drek at driving, I'm better at killing. If we're to have any success with this, like Jexa mentioned concerning military protected posture and drawing them out, there will need to be a sound plan to do just that. I imagine the strike force needs to be comprised of our most deadly warriors, as well.">
<"Mando'ade of Kora, if you wish to take part in this ambition, state: Aye, and what role you will play.">
--B'haav Adasta--
"Are you angling to be exiled and banned from your second planet, Zhu Yan?" That B'haav knows of. "If even one innocent Umbaran is where that crater is made, we're looking at a very large force with aims at our destruction. Unless they," the Balosar adds, gesturing generally to those in Beskar, "Are going to leave the whole planet without a force large enough to counterattack?" He glances back to Muri, steel-grey eyes wide behind his goggles before turning back to Yan.
"This is going to to take paperwork. Fifteen levels deep so if they go digging, the faintest whiff of your hair is no less than twelve systems away." The Balosar stands up as though to pace, sees the packed circle and sits back down. "This is madness."
--Aejin--
<"Aye,"> comes the answer from Aejin, in response to Sumi's call. He pauses for a moment after making his declaration, which is followed a beat later by his intended role, <"heavy ordinance">. Then his vocoder clicks off once more, which results in Aejin's focus returning to considering the door. Part of the armament that festoons him is, in fact, a whole plethora of grenades. The bigger ordinance is probably stowed away somewhere uncomfortable. Like the back of an A-Wing or something.
--Fae Renta--
There are a lot of voices slung around, but Fae gets to see the schematics to the Spirit Level projected from a little portable holo. Members of Kora and Shadowport express varying levels of terror, curiosity, and elation. This -is- madness.
"I'm in. Pilot. You know what I do best, Alor," Fae says, fingers flicking at that holo projection of the ship and turning it on various axis. She scoots her chair a little bit closer towards where Zee'Roh is sitting so the two can get a more intimate look at the beautiful bird.
"Look at the siiiiize of -those-," she says, and gasps, "It's -sexual- and violent!"
--Zee'Roh Kora--
<"Aye from me. Put me where the shooting's at.. or..."> says Zee. Regarding the faces from Shadowport and her clan alike. With her hand rests once more on the stock of her weapon held fast against her breast plate. <"...I can go in ahead of the main force and play jolly havok on their coms too. There's no better slicer than me in the galaxy... and we've got plenty of people to hand out death in ample quantities.">
--Jexa--
<"Aye. Wherever you need me, I'll be there."> That's Jexa's response. Short. Simple. And she stays where she is, not quite a statue because she's a little fidgety.
--Zhu Yan--
"Okay, so, you're not going to like this," Yan raised a finger in almost comical defence against the tongue-lashing Bav was giving him, "but I was planning to fire the racers," he waved the finger defensively, "out of the maw of the Space Whale and on to the planet."
Well if you wanted a way to keep Yan's name away from a fantastically illegal planetary invasion slash intergalactic terrorism (of which Yan was already /extremely/ guilty), that was one way to not do exactly that.
"If it helps, I was gonna turn off the IFF." He glanced over at the Mandalorian speaking about slicing. "Or we can get her to blanket their comm traffic so much it'll look like a freak asteroid attack. Or something." Yan should rent out his shovel, he'd make a killing with how deep he was digging his hole.
--Hahtavi Kora--
His Alor asks for the Koras to sound off, so Hahtavi's vocoder clicks on, <"Aye! Ground Assault team, or air support - depending on what's needed more."> Otherwise he remains leaning against the wall, his arms folded over his armored chest.
--Zevin Daodhri--
"Aye." The half-Echani points at the highlighted command center on the globe. "Ah'm best in the middle a' things or sneakin' in right before a place is 'bout to be the middle a' things and then fightin'. Up close an' personal, at range, whatever." Zevin raises an eyebrow. "Where Sumi is, I guess. Assault team."
"An' please, let's not crater civilian targets if we kin help it. Rather not add a rekkin' city on my conscience."
--Valeska Kora--
Valeska is in awe. You can't see it because of the helmet but trust me. She is in absolutel awe. <"I think I see what they were talking about,"> she says out loud but does not clarify. Pushing away from the back of the chair, she plants her hands on her hips. <"They need to be dealt with. Aye. My dad tried, but I can't drive for drek so put my boots on the ground in the assault.">
--Hadrix Kora--
<"Splitting hairs, Zee."> Hadrix rumbles before answering Valeska, <"If we want to be the sort to throw around actually and technically; yes. We're invading a planet. But for a specific target, not domination or total war. We're going to kill Blackout. Then we're leaving."> nodding slowly, <"They're the kind to take this sort of rally as personal affront."> head canting to one side while he looks to the display again, the red glow in the visor flickering a few times and his fingers begin working buttons again. Flaming palm Kora sigils being projected now at specific points. Then they disappear and are replaced in others. Each set moving as if being filed away while the big man works through tactical scenarios in his head.
When Sumi calls for ayes, he gives a distracted nod, <"Aye. Tip of the spear..."> the frown audible now, <"Anyone with sealed suits or temporary rigs - we might drop insert, no jets until last moment, drop in to say hi."> more considerations more work being done rapid fire - now the rally guide line keeps shifting.
<"Zhu Yan. I want Karr'roga in a side-car if he can't drive. Ready to add to the distraction.">>
Had wants the what?
--B'haav Adasta--
B'haav's mouth works silently for a moment before he finally finds words, coming out in a gravelly hiss. "You're right. I'm not going to like it." He looks to the projection of Umbara, back to Yan, and the goggles start whirring again as searches are run. "The IFF and transponders for certain. If we have the opportunity... Can we... Find another freighter, like the Shadowport? Doesn't have to work. Something we can plant, and leave a trail to a blown-up husk with no trace to foll- How much time do we have?" B'haav looks over to Muri, then back to Yan.
"Would we even have *time*- We have an unresolved matter with someone who knows our connection to the Shadowport, Zhu Yan. And unless he's gone entirely, he's certainly petty enough to pass along that information. The Shadowport puts us ALL on the line." There's an arch to the eyebrows - B'haav saying a list of names without saying any of them.
--Zhu Yan--
"Alright since we're apparently not doing a planetary invasion let's deviate away from the whole 'bombing everything' thing for PR's sake. Keep it clean, and whatnot." Yan made a big show of fighting back disappointment, but to be fair he'd just found out he's saving money on deep core mining charges. "Plus I don't think anyone would want to sponsor it, come to think of it. Gambling would be through the roof though..." Stop it, Zhu Yan! These are dangerous hypotheticals. "Alright. Hokay. Let's try and... wait hang on WHAT?!"
It was the shout that could be heard a galaxy away.
"HOW have we not killed that guy yet? Can we put this on hold for a few days, go kill him, and then revisit this? Fank darrik, I swear to sithspit, why the frack do we even have that loose end?!" The crazy man was now fuming. This was not a good place to be for him nor anyone within twenty feet. "Alright, alright, let's all calm down," just you, you trigger-happy Fauxrellian, "try and minimize our coverage. See this is why I keep you, Adasta. You've got a brain." Said by the brainless.
--Fae Renta--
"You know, the..." Fae starts, and looks towards B'haav. What would you call a B'haav? He looks like a business man. Like he should be out there bouncing credit chits off stripper butts. Fae's jaw works for a moment as she tries to consider the proper word for what you'd call a B'haav. "You know the... -doctor-?" upward inflection? "Is right. The only people we want to zero are Blackout's people."
She pauses, head canting while she leans to Doctor? B'haav and Zhu Yan talk about a loose end they haven't yet killed. Fae 'hmmms' softly to herself before taking a glance down to the slugthrower resting up at her hip. Nah.
--Zee'Roh Kora--
<"Speak for yourselves. All those civilians are biologicals and I would actively have to try to care less about any of them."> Zee is selfless, truly. <"But in the interest of not causing more problems than we aim to solve... Surgical strike, no women and children. Blah blah blah, hearts and minds and all that shavet.">
--B'haav Adasta--
"He went to ground... Popping up at... Inopportune times. He's on the list," the Balosar says more quietly. "And thank you, Zhu Yan. The race is all look-at-me. As long as we aren't... I can't say I have much objection. I don't want our people, or innocents, getting hurt for-" B'haav stops, squinting at Yah through the holo lenses. "What are we getting out of this? Or... What are you getting out of this, Zhu Yan?"
--Jexa--
<"Explosives go off course, people miss, and evens urgical strikes land on Children's hospitals sometimes."> Jexa is just a ball of fun tonight. Her arms are uncrossed now, back to an arm dangling by her side and the other resting on the butt of her rifle.
--Netep Muri--
Netep cringes quietly from her very /ground/ed perspective and scoooots arm's length away from the circle's perimeter. All the way to her feet, this time. The scraps of remaining wing is left for a third party to pick over, should they be so bold.
"Ahm not g'na git fired out th'whale." One hand points to Yan behind her, one to B'haav ahead of her, as she scuffs on over to invade a substantial surface area of his thoughtfully chosen chair. It begins innocuous, with a perch on the arm, but give her slim hips an inch and suddenly they're claiming manifest destiny on the entire seat. If the Balosar is still attached, well, he becomes added cushioning.
An arm drape around his suited shoulders secures the position and fingers drum out an idle tune on his hat. Who COULD they be talking about, this loose end named 'he'...
"What if I don't want him dead?" Muri intones softly, eyeing Yan across the room a squint partially obscured by a half shrug of third eyelid. "It's more fun to torment the living than the dead. And I've not had a proper goodbye." The hat drumming ceases and fingers remain poised atop like some disembodied creature. Calculating its next move, just as her faces appears to be making calculations of its own - finally alert enough - and on a swivel to regard all helmets and faces in the room.
--Sumi Kora--
Sumi stretches, then tugs her helmet up and hooks it to her belt. A second later, she's lighting a smoke and clamping the lighter shut. "Sounds like we got a plan..-- Commander Kora.. Val.. let's school circle on this later for our part in it." Sumi breathes out a long plume of smoke and adds on. "Unless there's anything else pressing, I'm going to go find something naked to look at for a few hours.."
--Fae Renta--
"Ah, see? We'll domesticate you yet," Fae says. A tap is given to her mobile holo-projector and the schematic of the Planet-Buster-Cracker-Attacker fizzles away. She exhales softly and turns her helmet and it's reflective T-shaped visor towards herself so that she can check her makeup. "Can't believe I put on eyeshadow for this," she laments, and then glances sideways to Zee and Sumi. "Can we go dancing now?" she asks. Directed at them, the way she glances about the place makes it seem a bit of a standing invitation as well.
--Valeska Kora--
There's a lot to take in and Valeska takes it in like a champ. That line of thinking in the middle of a strip club is not lost on her and she might be giggling to herself. No, that's just her rolling her shoulder a little. <"So no craters, at least? Glad to hear it. Look, I don't have a problem with the planet though their flora leaves something to be desired. But preferably the message will be enough with the headquarters razed, yeah?">
The Balosar's question towards Yan does pique her interest just a tad. What /does/ he get out of this? Perhaps he is just a creature of chaos. Ah, but there's Sumi giving the orders and that merits a quick nod. <"Copy, Alor."> It goes without saying that she might pass on oogling the nekkidness. She didn't see anything tasty on the way in. Maybe she needs to find Lord Silk's Lounge for that. <"Appreciate the meeting."> Valeska gives a lazy tap of her fingers to her helmet then points at Zhu. <"Let's try not to get blown up in the endeavour.">
Fully prepared to leave with her clan, Valeska turns towards Jexa. She almost claps her hand on the other woman's shoulder but stops herself and gives a thumbs up instead. <"Not bad for your first time out with us, yeah?">
--B'haav Adasta--
B'haav glances to Fae, quirking an eyebrow at the mention of 'Doctor, before slowly nodding. Before he can say anything, there's a shift in his chair, and then added weight as suddenly a Muri is turning the single-chair into double-occupancy. Arm around shoulder and then... A steady drumming. A deep breath, and then he looks in Muri's direction. "You have every right to that proper goodbye. I'm only saying... We can't be too brazen when he's still in enough control of his faculties to make trouble. If you want him locked in a sanitarium and you can visit any time?" B'haav doesn't finish the statement as the drumming stops.
"It's your call, Netep Muri. I just don't like not knowing exactly what he's up to." He glances up to Yan, not making any move to flee the seat, though he shifts a little to give Muri a touuuuch more room.
--Hadrix Kora--
Shoulders hunching and head lowering, Hadrix is breathing but they're growing shallower by the bob of his torso. There's a look for Zee that swings round to Jexa at her comment. When he does speak, it's a wet growl but the focus is Sumi, <"Copy, Alor. I'll have Old and Busted back for service. War room will be ready ahead of your command.">
Turning and starting for the exit with a suddenly heavy tread compared to the silent glide as before. Gripper's display is off and she is hovering at his side for a moment before her movements change and she sockets into her cradle alongside the jetpack on his back.
"Hadrix." <"Later."> hands balled into fists and for those acutely aware of body language cues, clearly seething about something. Then he is past the doors and into the station proper.
--Zhu Yan--
"A lot of credits," answered Yan plainly. "I play markets before and after these big things. Being in charge of said event removes the financial risk of investing in it. It's basically glorified insider trading," he elaborated, having finally calmed down into something a bit more reasonable. "That, and I'd be running the gambling. Huge amounts of credits are going to be moved and most of it will wind up in my pocket. And then yours. Oh, speaking of credits," he interrupted himself, fidgeting with the holoprojector, "in order to actually get people to do this rally I needed a prize. So, I fished around the stash of a old... well she wasn't a friend, but..."
Replacing the image of Umbara was a slowly-rotating image of a fighter from hell. Shaped like a swooping bird of prey, the manufacture was beyond unique, sharing no maker's marks with any other modern manufacturer. Truly, truly one of a kind. "Here's the grand prize."
--Jexa--
Jexa pushes off the wall, and moves to join Sumi and the others. Mainly Sumi. Because she's the boss. Alor? The language is coming in time. Coming to a stop near Valeska, the gesture isn't missed. So the heavily armored Zeltron completes it, smacking a heavy gauntletted hand on the others shoulder with a clang. <"Not bad, no. Not used to riding along, instead of leading. But I'll get used to it."> The hand drops from the others shoulder, falling back to her side. <"Let's go get a drink and look at naked stuff.">
The look from Hadrix is eiter unnoticed are not commented on. Time and place, possibly. Or something. Or maybe nothing. Regardless, she's sticking near to Sumi, as she prepares to depart.
