Neutral ground, Highlander (ME)

[Shia Kryze]

Neutral ground on Dathomir was a rocky, windswept outcrop that in the past not even outcast male or Nightsister clans wanted to claim as territory.

It had no valuable resources, it wasn't even particularly sheltered from the elements - although the combined works of various Clans had erected what now passed as genuine ruins that served as windbreaks and kept the not infrequent storms off the heads of people seeking to talk.

But places had the power of symbolism, so the Mandalorians named this spot to open discussions. Nominally within the Empire, but nominally the property of the Dathomiri, and territory by ancient tradition of none.

After all, no one wanted the small plain of rock and scree with ancient stone structures, not then, not today.

Shia stood with the small group of Mandalorians, wondering if it was entirely a good plan to bring everyone Yasha had asked to this meeting - and wondering faintly if this was what Ember Rekali had wanted all along, he couldn't possibly have forseen all of this, could he?

[member="Yasha Mantis"], [member="Kaine Australis"], [member="Beth Australis-Mantis"]​

[member="Ember Rekali"]​

 

[Yasha Cadera]

The weather rocked across Mand’alor the Infernal’s armour, yet the young woman felt nothing but the insulation full beskar’kandar beskar’gam brought her. Her grey cloak, different from the one Ember knew those years before, with Yasha’s own heraldry and none of Ra Vizsla’s, floated around her. Dathomir. It had been years… hadn’t it?

Time struck, an inconstant gong in Yasha’s mind now. What was it but a plaything? A force of speed and gravity and galactic manipulation?

She watched [member="Shia Kryze"] and wondered how the Nightfather would show. If he would show. The last she knew of him, after he destroyed a TSAC on that fateful day, Ember was fighting to protect the Dathomiri. Fighting beside the Mandalorians who also desired to save Witch lives.

“Follow the plan. We’re here to talk, stay easy, vode.” Yasha looked from Shia to [member="Kaine Australis"]. She’d told Kaine the stories of Ember Rekali as she had them, and while Yasha continued to focus on her People, Ember was the wild card she respected more than any other.

Although she had not redacted the Force Laws completely, Yasha had, in her tenure, decreed that the Force was not a dangerous crime to bear. Force Sensitive Mandalorians were free to live their lives as they saw fit, and free to use their powers… anywhere but the Capital planet.

Anywhere but Mandalore. Would it be enough? Yasha put her arm around [member="Beth Australis-Mantis"], wolf-helm looking down at her adopted daughter. “Are you warm enough, sunspot?”

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth had never been to Dathomir before, for whatever reason. Beth had always been intrigued by the Witches of Dathomir but had never really explored their culture. She honestly wanted to learn more about their culture and in truth, their abilities. Of course, she might never know but she jumped on the chance to be apart of the talk between [member="Ember Rekali"], [member="Yasha Mantis"] and the others.

Of course, they didn't actually meet in a very nice place on the planet. Luckily, she wore her beskar'gam. Her helmet, though, was in her hands as she examined the area without a HUD. Plus, she needed to take in some fresh air. She'd probably put it on when Ember arrived. Or if some manner of organism started trying to eat them or something.

It was... Cold. And the area wasn't the prettiest, in truth. It seemed a good, neutral location though so she could only agree with it. Plus, there were still parts of it that were extremely interesting - like the various ruins that were strewn about the area. Beth truly wanted to go about and see the various ruins... Maybe if things went well, she'd be able to do a little exploring!

She stood beside Yasha and [member="Shia Kryze"], with [member="Kaine Australis"] very close as they waited for Ember to appear. She hoped this went well, considering all things that could happen if it didn't. She nodded towards Yasha as she explained the plan. Easy enough, Beth wasn't much of someone who dived into fights. Probably due to her pain tolerance, which was... Terrible. For now, she could only hope.

She smiled as her adoptive mother put an arm around her. She leaned against her, snuggling up beside her, "Yeah, I am... Just a little nervous, you know?"

 

[Ember Rekali]

[member="Shia Kryze"] [member="Yasha Mantis"] [member="Beth Australis-Mantis"]

Mist rolled in off the sea, clouding the ruins. A few minutes later, footsteps rasped on the stone. A gigantic rhak-skuri, an armored, insectoid Sithspawn, paced out of the fog to face the Mandalorians. To Kryze, the rhak-skuri would feel warped and witchy and possibly familiar.

The creature spat a gobbet of acid, nowhere near the delegation. A talon started drawing in the softened, smoking rock.

 

[Shia Kryze]

"Dipluran, by the curve of the upper shell. Upekzar native, right?"

Shia looked... well, distinctly unimpressed by the display of the Sithspawn. Oh, she was afraid - bravdo was a gamble - but she was also just about angry enough with shows of power every time she tried to talk to anyone that her mind and lips moved faster than her better instincts.

She crossed her arms and tilted her buy'ce inquisitively.

"Natural pheremones are a powerful hallucinogen for some species - not mine, I might add - but the Sith twisted and warped it until it became an effective battlefield weapon. I think in Sith it translates as... Dream Singer?"

She considered the creature, fighting the effort to draw her guns and carry through with the consequence of her objective analysis.

"Two shots, given you're stationary target. The Sith never bother to breed out the need for a pnuemo-thorax."

[member="Ember Rekali"] [member="Beth Australis-Mantis"] [member="Yasha Mantis"] [member="Kaine Australis"]​

 

[Ember Rekali]

[member="Shia Kryze"] [member="Beth Australis-Mantis"] [member="Yasha Mantis"]

A long sword slashed out of the mist and carved the rhak-skuri's head half off. A shove sent the gigantic body careening off the stone's edge into the water. Ember wiped the sword on his sleeve.

"What in Kad's name are you doing, talking to a rhak-skuri? Those things are dangerous."

He glanced down at the message carved in solid rock - HELP ME - and back up at the assembled Mandos.

"Well, that's awkward. Shall we talk?"

 

[Yasha Cadera]

“Buy’ce on. Draw, but do not fire. Watch our six, Sunspot.” Yasha’s voice was calm, her feet widening in her stance as she pulled the Kal-Buir, her songsteel sword, from its’ sheath.

“Friend of yours, Shia? Awesome… Bethy, stay protecting my six, okay? That’s your job.” She didn’t mention that she was shielding her daughter, or that Yasha was using this as a teachable moment.

“Rule one of Witches and Dathomir, expect everything… and when the unexpected happens, carry a really big gun.” Ember Rekali came out of seemingly nowhere, and Yasha only slightly lowered her sword.

“Su cuy’ar, Ember.” The wolf-helm twitched, as a much taller young woman than the one Ember knew looked him over. Same Nightfather.

“[member="Beth Australis-Mantis"], meet the Nightfather [member="Ember Rekali"]. Ember, my adopted daughter, Beth. Yes, I think it is by far time for a good discussion, eh? It’s good to see you.”

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth skin crawled as the mist began to appear throughout the ruins. She instinctively began to get worried - it seemed... Dangerous, at best. She put her buy'ce on as her skin continued to crawl. There was something... Wrong, going on. Through her HUD, she stared as a sithspawn emerged. She felt the monster through her senses, including through her Force. It wasn't... Natural.

In either case, Beth looked over to [member="Shia Kryze"] as she had set up the meeting. She spoke about it, but she didn't really understand. Was this supposed to happen? A trap from Ember, perhaps? Beth herself knew very little of Sithspawn. She knew some of the basics - mutated, engineered, and so forth. Alchemy. But she didn't really know much more than that. And her first impressions weren't very good, it seemed.

She nodded at [member="Yasha Mantis"] order to protect her six as she moved to the position, pulling her blaster and aiming it. Would there be more...?

In either case, she then noticed [member="Ember Rekali"] appear and subsequently cut the monster's head off. Well then. 'Help me' is what the monster wrote? The monsters death was probably what it wanted. She frowned. It was awful what some sapients would do. Luckily, her face was hidden behind her buy'ce and as such, no one would be able to notice the droop in her ears or the frown on her face.

She nodded a greeting at Ember. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nightfather. I agree, I think a discussion sounds good."

 

[Ember Rekali]

[member="Shia Kryze"] [member="Yasha Mantis"] [member="Beth Australis-Mantis"]

There was a small boulder nearby, a pebble compared to the promontory. Ember put his back against it and sat down on the ground, looking up at the three Mandalorians.

"I have names for you, by the way," he said. "I'm sure you know about the attempted incursion against the Spider Clan last month. The attackers were remarkably...chatty." He bared his teeth in a humorless smile. "Especially just before disembarking from the Sith Infiltrator they used to slip past Mandalorian lines. Remind me to teach you flow-walking if you don't already know it, Kryze. Looking even a few minutes back in time is intensely useful. Plus then you'd be able to, say, verify what I tell you."

He refocused on Yasha. "The names you're looking for, Mand'alor, are DeWinter, Cavataio, and Van Derveld -- and you want to be looking in the direction of the Confederacy. I have nothing against the CIS as a whole -- Lord Metus and I have a long history together -- and I suspect they'd be very interested in what their junior Sith have been up to."

 

[Yasha Cadera]

The Nightfather. The man who made a deal with a naive young thirteen year old, leaping at any chance of a positive conversation and association.

If not for Ember Rekali, Yasha, like Ra, would be a pawn of the Sith. Although he was her self-proclaimed enemy, the change in the Force Laws, the shift in economic treaties and denial of the Sith alliance stemmed from those few collection of hours in Ember’s castle.

Who would have thought a warm bed, shower, sandwich and some tuber wedges would change the course of an empire? He spoke of [member="Shia Kryze"]’s force powers, of teaching her more, and Yasha knew deep down she’d always known.

Yet outside confirmation stilled her. ‘So that was why Shia is terrified of Adara’.

“DeWinter… But I have a positive business relationship with [member="Celestine deWinter"]. We set a trade deal for agriculture and livestock… why would she endorse an attack on the Spider Clan?” Punching her fist into her open palm, Yasha’s wolf helm twitched. “Cavataio, Van Derveld… the litany of Mandalorian hating witches and lupines. I too have had my history with Metus… yet there is a diplomatic complication. Metus murdered his sister, Ginnie. She was a Mandalorian Empire citizen, and although her life was returned to us, his Sith Wraith form is a menace. From what we gleaned, Metus is not in control of his Wraith, but a subject of it. While sensible in his natural form, I wonder of the other. We shall see what he does with underlings who desire to commit acts of genocide and war. How are you now? Do the Dathomiri require any aide?”

 

[Shia Kryze]

Shia didn't blink, looking from [member="Yasha Mantis"] to [member="Ember Rekali"].

Then she sighed.

"The odds of me being able to learn anything practical are exceptionally low." She grumbled. "But I know some of those names, as it happens. I've got a drinking vod in the Spider Clan."

She shrugged.

"And I do have a problem with Metus, because he needs to spit up a good chunk of my Oversoul and be a good boy, not a karking menace to anything spiritual."

She grinned.

"Su cuy'gar ca'buir, I hope you are well. Oh, I am well, Shia, how has learning to master an unknown Force Tradition been?"

She wasn't quite sure where she'd picked up this insolence from, she suspected [member="Mishel Noren"] was responsible.

"It's good to see you too." She said, more seriously. "Have you met Beth?" She gestured to [member="Beth Australis-Mantis"].