Shadows of Bankor

The TBD crossed over the open water en route to Yuvas, peacefully on autopilot (today, Vaya mentally dubbed the ship The Balosar Descrier). She had asked the expedition team to gather in the starboard room down the hall from the cockpit -- large enough to hold everyone comfortably, a short run to the controls if the sensors pinged on anything, and it had plenty of places for Vaya to arrange her lightboard and stack up notes as they made their final plan of attack. Or not-attack, as Vaya kept on insisting.

Verse had been meditating, a shocking sight perhaps; to those who might not realize she was capable of more than harebrained antics and general obliviousness. However, when time came to gather in the 'briefing' room, she was right back to her usual self; expression and bodylanguage like she didn't have a care in the world and might wander off in chase of butterflies.

"Are we there yet?"

"Better hope not. I don't know how to program that autopilot for a forest landing." Sinnya stretched, uncurling from a padded bench built along the bulkhead where she'd been unsuccessfully trying to coax her nervous body into a catnap. "It will ping when we're in range."

Jenna sat backwards in a chair, resting her head down on her arms crossed over the back of it.

"What are the dangers down there again?" she asked, she wasn't thrilled about this journey today for some reason, maybe it was the waiting, maybe it was the not having a clue what she was going to do if things went south.

"Most things I imagine" Qareme commented to Jenna as she asked her question. While others had moved to look around, the large Zabrak had sat down calmly almost appearing to be meditating.

"Perhaps we run through the plan again?"

"The environment, the wildlife, and the natives, not to mention the Imperials Sinnya told me about. The first three I have experience with, it's the last one that will prove tricky." Ru'ni spoke up from the position he hadn't shifted from since takeoff. His white knuckles still gripping tightly to one of the handholds.

Qareme Torth wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 06, 2020 10:41 pm

"Perhaps we run through the plan again?"

"I was hoping someone would say that," said Vaya brightly, and started reviewing The Board. It wasn't a short presentation, but ultimately...

"In sum, we'll land, find some non-Chaldi Anzuri, and depending what kind of help we get we'll climb or ride to the Chaldi, and then get past the Imperials to make contact with the friendly ones." A lot depended on a lot: fight or sneak, liberate or just visit. They'd be playing it by ear.

Having missed the previous planning sessions, Ru'ni listens intently then turns to Sinnya.

"Hbanu? They're probably the most likely tribe to help. They might be sympathetic to the plight of their former tribemates, and if we can convince them to loan a few swoopwings it will make the travel easier."

"I dunno, I thought the Skull Eaters sounded cool," Vaya deadpanned. She didn't have the Anzuri's measure yet.

Ru'ni nodded. "It seems you are well informed Vaya." He replied recalling her name from the Nerf last night.

"My voice here I the newest, and only one of many and I will support whichever decision the group feels is best. The Skull Eaters are definitely a good choice, if we are expecting violence. They are always up for a throwdown. I guess it depends on the approach you want to take."

"Well, I don't really have much insight in these matters. I'm not really the planning kind of girl," she said honestly.

"I don't really want to go in knives-bloody." With Ru'ni there, and trying to think her way through tribal relationships, Sinnya found Aznuri idioms coming more easily to her tongue than offworlder ones. "A lot of people could get hurt that way. I've been hoping we can hole the bottom of her rain cistern... uh, that is," she waved a hand in the direction of the non-Aznuri members of the party, "pull her resources away before she notices."

She leaned forward, bracing her hands on her knees. "If Tirali and those troopers could get what they want just from each other, they'd already have it. That call we picked up, it sounds like she needs the other Chaldi to cooperate, and she needs the other tribes not to get in her way. If we can just get in long enough to break out the Chaldi who don't support her, more might trickle away too, and they can make alliances with the other tribes. No one will let her get away with planning to attack the Calm." The very idea was so unlucky that her lekku shivered in disgust.

"Starting a fight with all those troopers out in the open in the village would be suicide. But down in the forest, with more Aznuri? The odds won't be so uneven."

Vaya stared at Ru'ni, then at Verse, trying to figure out if they were messing with her, or if she had deadpanned not wisely but too well. She underlined and circled the part of the crowded, complicated flowchart that said:

Best Approach: Get Swoopwings!!!

"So anyway, if there aren't any other questions, Sinnya and I should get to the cockpit. I'll be monitoring for Imperial transmissions. It didn't look like Commander Poule had any vehicles besides his troop shuttle, so there probably aren't any patrols where we'll be, but I guess we'll see." There's a lot of 'I guess we'll see' in this plan.

ooc: Ready to land?

Ru'ni listened and bowed his head, offering a quiet prayer to his ancestors to bless their journey.

And also in hope the landing wouldn't do to his stomach what takeoff did.

Ooc - all good here

"Not much of a fighter myself so.. less blood the better," she said, leaving her current seat to find her one that she could strap herself into to prepare for a landing nice and early.

[Check check]

"As I have promised to your brother, I will also say to you Jenna. I will protect you, so do not feel you need to fight" the Zabrak said, nodding to her.

She didn't question the plan, only saying "I have no experience with Swoopwings."

"Hold on tight and don't look down." Ru'ni offered, being entirely helpful.

"They're reasonably similar to most mounted animals with a tight community. They play follow the leader pretty well, so if we can control the alpha, it shouldn't be too difficult."

Qareme Torth wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 07, 2020 9:22 am

"As I have promised to your brother, I will also say to you Jenna. I will protect you, so do not feel you need to fight" the Zabrak said, nodding to her.

She didn't question the plan, only saying "I have no experience with Swoopwings."

"May not be a fighter, but I can take care of myself," she said with a smirk, but relented, "but thank you. For this, and for being there for my brother."

"Let's just try not to get eaten," she added, leaning her head back into her seat, she never did quite like when someone else was in control, flying, even when they've proven themselves as much as Sinnya.

OOC: Where are we landing near a tribe or just in the forest?

Ooc: politely close to the Hbanu.

The trees were thick as they descended into the twilight darkness and found a good landing spot, the Hbanu doubtless know they are there.

Vaya gathered with the rest of the crew by the ramp, waiting for Sinnya to finish the post-flight checks. She had been entirely up-front about her pragmatic reasons for featuring Sinnya (and now Ru’ni) prominently in their first meeting, although she planned to be in the front rank also. She’s loaded down with her crash pack and a spacer’s duffle full of trade goods and luxuries to use as gifts. Rather than walking with her hands full, she handed the duffle to Qareme and held out a cooler to Verse to carry.

“Swoopwing bait,” she said to the younger woman with a smirk. “Don’t open it until I say so.” Maybe this will keep you from wandering off, she thought, which was uncharitable, but her nerves had been taut since she had first seen bone-white trooper armor among the Chaldi.

With the group assembled, they opened the ramp, the hot wet air of the Sky-Tree Sea flooding in…

There was a twi’lek with pale blue skin and heavy leather pants and no shirt but a bandoleer of feathers and knives. He said in halting Basic, “Why you… come, laowai?”

He stamped the earth with heavy boots and added, “Our lands, why you come?

Verse carried her designated cooler and walked down the ramp straight into the twi'lek, almost bumping into them before noticing them.

"Woaw, careful. Sorry. Hey, we're friends."

She craned her neck backwards as far as it could go. "Right team? We're friendly?"

Ru'ni had taken the time during Sinnya's efforts to find a parking spot to apply the traditional face paints of the Orosini. So when he emerged from the group, he totally looked the part of a member of his tribe and spoke the native tongue with a comfortable fluency.

"I am Ru'ni Wayne, sky touched tribesman of the Orosini. We have come to speak with you of things you may know, and things you should know. These are not the laowai who would threaten my homeland and yours, there is a threat to our kind and our way of life, but it is not us."

"I need to speak to your Peacekeeper." He reached behind him and slowly offered his weapons as a gesture of faith. "This is for the sake of ALL tribes of the Aznuri."