Ravens; Respite and Revenge

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

Dragon Palace Casino​

Antecedent​

19:00​

There had been a lot of major changes recently, and particularly with the recent loss of the Cryptnet there was no guarantee the far-flung Ravens all knew what was going on. So the tiger-striped Twi'lek had sent out a message calling them home to roost. They very rarely held gatherings like this, more given to parties than business. Though for the Ravens, parties could be business when they were done properly. Still, it was risky. She didn't like having them all in one place when there were so many new enemies in the galaxy, but this was life now. Her Ravens should sleep with one eye open. As for the Twi'lek? She'd just not sleep period.

No more betrayals. No more losses. No Sith taking what was hers and damaging it. No more anyone crossing her. She'd burn the damned galaxy if she had to, but the Ravens would go on. Safe.

As much as she feared the effect it would have on her personal life, it was time for extreme prejudice. If you crossed the Ravens and could not make amends, you died. Your family died. Your neighbours died. Your co-workers died. Your little dog? That was fair game to.

She'd extended the summary of the meeting that was to take place to [member="Patricia Susan Garter"], the woman could come or not, as she pleased. She was doing well with the Black Market, the Twi'lek would grudgingly admit, but after the farce that was the Rebel Alliance meeting and the revelation that yes, she did in fact have a means in place to murder the Twi'lek and take power, Chiasa had been trying to get along less and just getting things done.

You couldn't count on anyone. That was what [member="Cryax Bane"] had taught her. Oh, those who were hers could count on her certainly, but the Twi'leks previously fairly trusting nature had been severely rocked.

So she waited in the Dragon Palace Casino. Seated at the large table where she'd first seen Lysle Rigger, where all of this had started for her. There was no tranquillity screen, no music, no patrons, no gunfire. For now there was silence as she waited for the Unkindness.

An Unkindness she intended to unleash very soon...

 

[Xalus]

Xalus was placid.

While there may have been lots of drama going on internally, especially with the Red Ravens' supposed dealings with both the Rebel Alliance and the One Sith's de facto empire. In all honesty, the Gen'Dai didn't see what was the matter. War was always profitable and only the smartest, toughest, and occasionally stupidest of people were the ones who actually benefited from it. As far as he was concerned, the Ravens certainly weren't stupid - although he could definitely call them stupidly brave.

The hulking frame of Big Boy hung in the corner of the room, fairly close to Chiasa with a four-man team of TA4 battle droids scattered across the room at intervals. With shoulders stooped, Xalus looked ready to pounce on and devour any living or nonliving thing that even looked at him wrong. It was one thing when you acted out against himself or one of his droids, but it was an entirely different matter when you chose to even think about committing and act of sin against his Queen.

He didn't want to have to kill some of his own brethren today - he'd been part of the Ravens since day one and their camaraderie was all too valuable to the lonesome mercenary, but he was absolutely going to do his job: enforce.

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] [member="Xalus"]

Patricia walked Into the meeting hall with her head a bit down, these were indeed very dark times and she was beginning to learn that even the people she trusted the most were betraying her. So she quickly entered the room and sat down at the table near Chiasa, she lifted her head momentarily and looked at Chiasa, the corners of her mouth slightly lifted into a sad smile.

She nodded her head once at the woman, not a sign of servitude or anything of the sort. But one of acknowledgment and respect to the new president of the Red Ravens. And as she was aware the woman was now her boss and she would follow what she had been told to follow her whole life. Chain of command, and so she just sat there and went to her data logger reading from the screen.

"We can start whenever you are ready Madam President." Patricia said in a very respectful tone of voice.

Patricia in fact did have the means to cripple, overthrow, or even destroy the ravens in a long and lengthy battle for power. But no one wanted that, she certainly didn't and it would only bring more harm to the people she cared about here. So Patricia looked back down and did her best to think about other things than ordering one of her best friends to die and shooting a room full of innocent slicers.

 

[Jen]

Nervous, with red eyes and sniffling nose Jennifer sat in one of the large chairs that surrounded the large table in the VIP room, having pushed herself a bit away from it and with her feet on the seat. Her chair being on the right side of Chiasa. The young half ryn didn’t seem to take too much notice to the world around her, nor what was going on. Instead channeling all of her energy and attention into the keyboard she was currently typing on, it being a part of her Sandro computer she used to complete tasks such as the one ahead of her. Every now and then she would stop her furious typing only to stare at the screen for everything from two seconds to two minutes and then continue doing whatever she was doing.

Those who had been at the Dragon Palace around the time “the breakdown” had happened would probably know that she was currently trying to work out some new alternative to the Cryptnet after she had judged it to be completely useless now. Both because it would take too much time to get the violent virus out of the sytem that Cryax had unleashed, but also because Cryax was one of the persons who had helped code it. She needed to go down a whole new route. Figure out a whole new way to guard it and she constantly had to check that she didn’t use any of her signatures roundabouts in the code. It was hard work, especially considering the circumstances, but it needed to be done and that was why the Cryptnet plug was for now pulled entirely. Truth be told, she would rather have stayed in her room here at the Dragon Palace and continue her work without having to listen to all of this crap that was about to go down, but it was a necessary key in everything that she knew what was going on within the Ravens.

A box of tissues lay on the table in the space infront of her, together with a plastic bag filled with spice, an extremely thin layer of some of it seen on the space infront of the opening of the bag. Obviously remains from previous usage.

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]​

 

[Keira Priest]

There wasn't any point in skirting around it anymore, or trying to avoid what all of them knew had happened. Cryax had betrayed the Red Ravens, destroying nearly all of their electronic resources in the process. Some of it was salvageable, but as a whole the servers had been wiped clean. The Chiss had bid farewell as only a slicer knew how to do, leaving without another word. The departure had shook the organization to its very core, prompting this meeting. They needed to plan, strategize, figure out just what their next move would be now that a large amount of incriminating evidence was no doubt being passed along to their enemy, the Sith.

On a more personal level, Keira was dealing with things her own way. She wasn't exactly upset, or at least not in the typical breaking down into tears kind of way. This was more of a quiet, deep hurt, coupled with an even quieter anger directed at both herself for not seeing this coming and the man responsible for it all in the first place. It was the last time she would ever let someone in so easily, the last time her trust would be handed out with little consequence. Simply put, it was the last straw, for all of them. But this wasn't the time to be dwelling on how any of them were feeling, no matter how much their own thoughts would dictate the direction all of this would head in. Now was the time to come together as one. As family.

Just as the others had she took her place at the table, remaining silent, the unspoken words that hung between them all speaking volumes as to their current state of mind. They were cracked, some of them perhaps shattered by the recent events, but not broken. Never broken. As one they would rebound, prepared to strike out with extreme prejudice against any and all that opposed them. Everyone seemed to forget that they were criminals at heart, and with those roots came the means and the willingness to deliver swift and merciless to all of their enemies, equally and in turn. Now Cryax was one of those enemies.

Wordlessly she nodded to each of those present in greeting, not bothering to even attempt a smile. None of them were in the mood for those forced pleasantries. It was too late for that. It just had to be you.

[member="Jen"], [member="Patricia Susan Garter"], [member="Xalus"], [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] [member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Patricia Susan Garter"] [member="Jen"] [member="Xalus"]

Zenva Vrotoa, matron of her clan, entered the Dragon Palace Casino in her typical attire. Brown knee high leather boots, black leggings clinging to well muscled legs, a short black and red pleated skirt, and a brown leather corset. On her right thigh a BlasTech DL-22 blaster pistol sat secure in it's holster. A long fighting knife sat on her left hip.

Trailing behind the matron was three of her clan. The commander of their clan war ship, Zuko Vrotoa. The leader of their military arm, Orluk Aylia. Finally the clan's sniper recon organizer, Renesri Aylia. Each carried a side arm and wore their finest armor.

Zenva led the way to the conference room. She paused long enough to make eye contact with those that had arrived before her. Her gaze settling on the tiger stripped Twi'lek, to whom she nodded respectfully, "Lady Kritivaas."

Zenva took a seat, her clan gathered close behind her.

 

[The Upright Man]

[Theme]

The Upright Man glided through the streets like a spectre. A low-time Raven dealer came to him, offering him what he could in spices, to which Upright's only response was a gruff, "Kark off." He ripped the deathstick from the venitalation shaft of his helmet and slapped it to the ground, placing a toed boot and twisting the narcotic out of existence. Entering the doors of the Dragon Palace Casino was unalike anything he had experienced. The Casino should rightfully still be in his name, it was still his business, just other people ran it for him. He built this place, and not even death was going to rip it out of his iron grip.

He knew the route, but the people, views and lights were different this time. There were certainly more Ravens and less customers, and deep down that irked him. The casino was always a front, a place where customers could come in their tens of thousands and the Ravens could hide among them, now it was more a fortress. Nonetheless, entering the room he was greeted with familiar faces. Some of them drawn of energy both mentally and physically, some looking to not have slept for days. Upright had been sleeping like a baby.

He approached the table, closest to Jen, and as he walked past he snatched up the bag of spice and threw it over his shoulder, "What did I teach you?" The triangular image of his faceplate winked briefly. Upright circled the room until he came nearest to Chiasa and took a seat of his own, typically reserved for the elite of the Ravens. It was uncomfortable to sit with the wide arrangements of weapons, ammunition, explosives and light-armor he wore, but at least he wasn't Cryax. That kid was going to pay. Upright reached for his helmet and hooked his thumbs under and up, slowly removing the helm. Sandy blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, a devilish smile that could kill on its own, and enough scars to boot. It was Lysle Rigger.

[member="Zenva Vrotoa"] [member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Jen"] [member="Patricia Susan Garter"] [member="Xalus"] [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Darth Assimilus]

News always traveled fast...especially when you searched for it.

Walking down the streets of Antecedent the 8'5ft Armored Gen'dai as headed for the Dragon Casino. Escorted by two of his EDG Enforcer droids, both of which lumbered behind their master with heavy feet. The Red Ravens always paid him well but credits was not the reason he was coming, Something had happen in regards of relationship to the One Sith. Rumors were things went sour and that was good. The Sith didn't need the Ravens on their side... They were too crafty to side with arrogant sorcerers and too laid back to stand for Sith politics. As Kezeroth got closer to the Casino he growled sensing several heartbeats inside. The Dragon Casino empty? Right....

There was no doubt now that those who were force sensitive could feel the Brute now, His Dark side presence was not tamed like a Siths. Instead it was Wild and Raw, It could never be reduced by the rules and regulations of Sith teaching. Hungering Blood lust that wanted Revenge. From outside Kezeroth smiled and nodded to some guards outside the casino, they knew of him from past meetings at the Casino. Slowly he walked in the Casino thinking about all the times he had been used by the Sith and how many times he had used them as well. Glancing around the room he chuckled nodded to [member="Keira Ticon"], his lovely apprentice. The sight of her reminded him that he could show her abit more but another time. Interested in hearing what was going on Kezeroth crossed his arms against his chest and walked over to lean against a wall close by.

The droids that eyed his every movement only made the brute that much more annoyed, but he admired their sinister appearance and didn't doubt they could do some damage in battle. They added to the atmosphere which was completely lacking when compared to the normal activity it would have. Explosives & Ammonition litters the room in crates, the Sad expressions and grim appearances suggested someone died or worse. Everyones attention was on the twi'lek and so it was time to join the party. Two faint red glowing eyes under a armored face plate gazed at [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] and her body guard @Xalus.

" Hmmmm..." he hummed thinking about something but it only came out at a low growl due to his altered vocals.

[member="The Upright Man"]
[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]
[member="Jen"]
[member="Patricia Susan Garter"]

 

[Lurcano Car'dann]

Lurcano strode in, the amused expression on his face completely clashing with the dark mood that was obviously felt by everyone else in the room. Lurcano had arrived late, though he would maintain that it still wasn't his fault. It seemed as if he dropped off the face of Antecedent when important meetings were being held. He surveyed the room, and took one of the only empty remaining seats next to Patricia. He leaned back in his chair, rocking it ever so slightly as he took a look around the room.

Despite the fact that his demeanor displayed a lack of caring, Lurcano fully understood the gravity of the situation. Their entire Cryptnet was down, and their organization had been cut off from all of the minor crime rings they had established all over the galaxy. Things were grim, and they simply lacked the technological capability to quickly recover from such a blow. Yet, Lurcano somehow managed to remain "positive" through out all these developments. He owed much of his upbeat behavior and feelings to the lack thereof when it came to his fellow Red Raven compatriots, and that honestly surprised him.

He never much liked the flamboyant Chiss. He'd expressed this opinion many times before, using words that might be considered the improper vernacular when it came to the Chiss' particular sexuality. As for his personality, and the way he carried himself; Lurcano didn't much care for that either. He was the very embodiment of the type of person Lurcano disliked. While everyone sniffled about this oh so sudden betrayal, Lurcano had been getting work done. He would make use of this opportunity. Cryax's departure had created a power vacuum in the Red Ravens. Whether said vacuum was filled by either Patricia or Chiasa, he would definitely benefit. And he said as much after a few moments of awkward silence.

Lurcano Car'dann: "I for one, am glad that laserbrain's gone. His behavior was abhorrent, and as the public face of our organization, he represented it poorly. I might be new to the Ravens, but I hear things. Ever since he was taken by the Sith, things have never been the same. Some people don't have the will to survive after such a traumatic experience; and that's understandable really. What's not understandable is him bitchifying the Red Ravens to the One Sith."

"Much of the leg work was being done by Patricia and Chiasa at this point anyway. I see no reason to change a system that's obviously been working, and working rather successfully until now. Leave the organization in the capable hands of Patricia and Chiasa, and let that be final. Then we can focus on more important things, such as rebooting the Cryptnet and reestablishing contact and control over the various crime syndicates and worlds that we lost communication with due to this crash."

As Lurcano spoke, he scanned the room once more, attempting to gauge the reactions of everyone as he spoke. He wasn't the best at public speaking, but he certainly wasn't going to shy away from it. All the moping had left him sick and annoyed. The only person who was a mystery to him was the seated man who was close to Chiasa. Lurcano wondered who the man was, as he'd never seen him around before. He was obviously someone important, due to his seated position which no doubt signaled his importance. He stared at the man, not bothering to hide his piercing glare. 'This is someone I'll definitely have to watch this man in the future. He's got that look about him...'

[member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] [member="The Upright Man"] [member="Zenva Vrotoa"] [member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Jen"] [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] [member="Patricia Susan Garter"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

[member="Lurcano Car'dann"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] [member="The Upright Man"] [member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Jen"] [member="Xalus"]

Zenva rose up from her chair, anger clear as writing on her tattooed face. Her scowl fixed intently on the brash and cocky Lurcano.

"It's clear you lack an education in regards to who your sitting with. Allow me to clarify for you."

She pointed out each person as she spoke.

"That is [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]. Acting vice-president of our organization. When she needs a second opinion she will ask for it. That is [member="Patricia Susan Garter"]. Acting Secretary of our organization. When she wants your opinion she will send you a memo detailing exactly what opinion she wants. That is Lysle Rigger. One of the founders of this organization. If he wants your opinion he'll ask for it. Now do yourself a few karking favors, sit like you have some respect for those around you and shut your fool mouth. Maybe then our leadership can inform us of exactly what this meeting is about."

Slowly Zenva took her seat once more. Her gaze turning to the assumed dead man, Hydain Way, "It's good to see you on your feet mister Rigger and with a helmet. I hope I won't be speaking at another funeral for you."

 

[Jen]

Jennifer had continued to write on her Sandro computer as people had arrived, not even seeming to take note of any of them. From time to time, she took a tissue from the box on the table in front of her to blow her nose, but not a lot more than that.

But as The Upright Man entered the VIP room she wasn’t looking up, once again ignoring the world around her while she was focusing on coding and re-coding parts of the Cryptnet that she had salvaged, the information now carefully secured on her computer and her own internal network here at the Dragon Palace.

She did however react as she saw an armored arm pop into view in front of her. A hand snatching her plastic bag of spice only to toss it away and over the persons shoulder, something that would in turn have made her go almost berserk in her current state, had it not been for the voice that echoed through the helmet of the one who had taken it. "What did I teach you?"

She froze in place from the half turned position in her seat, her eyes growing wide, those in itself being an indication of the fact that she had cried throughout the last night, being red and wet, old eyeliner recently having been attempted to get washed away after it had been smeared around her eyes, probably not having been waterproof in the first place.

From her position in the chair she with her eyes followed the man as he walked up towards Chiasa, an expression of disbelief, doubt, worry, anger and sadness seen on her face, her mouth partly open as if she wanted to say something, but didn’t. Merely staring towards the man as he slowly removed his helmet.

A sharp breath was heard taken through her (ryn-like) nose, her eyes opening so much that there was probably a legitimate chance that they would pop out of their sockets any minute. Slowly as the reaction settled in among the people at the table and those still arriving, Jennifer started to breath faster, hectic even as she attempted to process what was going on.

It didn’t exactly help that Lurcano started to talk in the way he did, her breath sharper and rapid until she lost control of herself around the ending of his speech, her words spoken in a surprisingly very harsh and hateful, near weeping tune. An accusing shaking finger pointing towards him so he knew she was talking to him. “S-Shut up! SHUT UP!” She yelled from across the table, taking a long deep breath afterwards, furious, her eyes still on the verge of popping out of her head judging from her expression, her breathing time allowing Zenva to speak.

Once done Jennifer would continue, by this point standing, the sandro computer having been knocked off the chair and down onto the floor. Obviously, she now turned her attention towards Lysle who sat at the end of the table. Her amber eyes looking over him as if trying to figure out who it really was, if it truly could be him or where the zipper to the mask was. She was doubtful at best, but confused nonetheless. Screaming as she started to talk.

“A-A-AND WHERE... WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!? YOU KA-...YOU PIECE OF-...“ She stopped herself, breathing heavily as she stood still on the floor, as if attached to it and afraid to move away from her spot on it. This was too good to be true...

[member="Zenva Vrotoa"] :: [member="Lurcano Car'dann"] :: [member="The Upright Man"] :: [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]​

 

[Jarven Zexxel]

The Theme playing in Jarven's mind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc1sZxc65XY

Jarven strode up to the doors to the VIP room, feeling like a badass. His new body rippled with power, his enhanced mind coupled with the new tech gave way to incredible ideas and revealed so many things he hadn't known before, and he was so excited. One part of his mind toiled away on the project he had in mind, recalling perfectly what little he had glimpsed, seen, and learned of Cryax but coupling it with what he was learning through the Holonet. His mind was first toiling away at the heavy encryption that was going to become necessary.

He pushed both doors open with both hands and stepped inside. He carried himself with this new found confidence and power to the chair that was closest to him and farthest from the leadership's chairs. He unlocked his helmet, spun it on his finger like a basketball, and then latched it to his belt. His eyes were glowing light blue thanks to the ARC contact lenses, but only because he had found a way to wirelessly manipulate them safely. He smiled a wide smile, his canines being clearly visible. He pulled his seat away from the table and, with a grin, he silently addressed the room members. He bowed softly to the Vrotoa clan, he nodded the other less prestigious members, and then he bowed to the people arrayed at the front.

He didn't know who the man next to Chiasa was because the funeral had been a closed casket one. He kept smiling, a secret waiting to be known below his surface. He tapped some commands on his wrist node and it engaged the script he had set up. Chiasa, Patricia, and Jen would soon find their datapads emit a quiet digital 3 tone beep and their screens distort slightly with a legible message in the background saying, "I have a plan" with a silver wood axe in the bottom right corner for 5 seconds after they took the time to look at their datapads.

He sat down and waited for the meeting to begin.

[member="Jen"] [member="Zenva Vrotoa"] [member="Lurcano Car'dann"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] [member="The Upright Man"] [member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Patricia Susan Garter"] [member="Xalus"] [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

These were the times when you learned who was really on your side. Or near enough. Perhaps more would straggle in, but at least the core were here. Her eyes roved over those assembled, acknowledging each as they came in.

[member="Xalus"], her Big Boy, trusted bodyguard. One of the very few beings that she legitimately harboured no doubts about. He'd disappeared along with half the galaxy, and that had shaken her, but he was back now and that was what mattered.

[member="Patricia Susan Garter"] surprised her, though she managed to keep it off her face. The woman actually seemed to be taking things seriously for once, none of her obnoxious behaviour, and the fact that she actually referred to the Twi'lek as Madam President.. Chiasa had been operating under the assumption that since they'd technically stood on equal ground under Cryax, they would still be on equal ground. Co-leaders. Apparently not. Interesting.

[member="Jen"] was in rough shape. The Twi'lek had heard her grief and saw it on her face still, but the long and short of it was that she did not know how to comfort the girl. She'd never had a family before the Ravens, being caring and nurturing was not something she was familiar with and she didn't know how to go about it. The Spice she might have to do something about. Beyond the fact that she cared about Jen and wanted her to look after herself, she also needed her in good working order.

[member="Keira Ticon"]. They'd been on the same jobs, the same worlds, but had not interacted personally much. Still, the Ravens Secretary was infinitely capable and always there when she was needed. Her grim face said that she knew what was required, and had the steel in her spine to accomplish it. Good.

[member="Zenva Vrotoa"] and the rest of her clan was next. Again, she was familiar with them largely in passing, they had mostly interacted with Cryax, but the Twi'lek was pleased to see where their loyalties truly lay. She inclined her head in a nod of acknowledgement when Zenva addressed her.

[member="The Upright Man"].. Now a smile played upon the Twi'leks lips. So he had come.. Good. She hadn't been sure. One was never sure with Lysle Rigger. The smile grew slightly as he interacted with Jen. Perhaps he could do what she couldn't. The Twi'lek had kept silent about the fact that Lysle was still breathing, as he'd requested. Now she was of two minds. Lysle was Lysle. He was the Ravens. He had been leading them to dominance before she'd even heard of them. But the Ravens had been rocked so many times recently, and after what Cryax had done, did she dare hand power over to anyone? Who could be trusted anymore? Who would keep the Ravens safe? They'd not spoken about it yet anyway. Who knew if he was back for good or just to deal with what his prodigy had done. For now, as always, Lysle was Lysle and that was enough. He did not need a title anyway.

[member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] was an interesting and unexpected though welcome addition. He'd been with the Ravens a long time, but tended to flit back and forth between galactic powers. At the end of the day, the Twi'lek suspected that he was only his own, but that was fine with her. Independent beings often chafed under the restrictions of the Sith. The Ravens encouraged personal freedom for the most part. And they paid well.

Then [member="Lurcano Car'dann"] strutted in and immediately opened his damned fool mouth. The Twi'lek resisted the urge to bury her face in her palm or to give Patricia a meaningful look, seeing as it was the blonde who had promoted him. He seemed to have been getting ideas above his station recently. Or perhaps he was just the kind of idiot who would never learn. Apparently she was not the only one he rubbed the wrong way since Jen, still in shock over Lysles big reveal told him to shut up followed by Zenva doing the same, though in a far more eloquent manner. A corner of the Twi'leks mouth twitched up slightly.

[member="Jarven Zexxel"]'s entrance was accompanied by much less fanfare though he did seem very pleased about something, and a ping and message on her comm unit confirmed it. Later. Now it was time to get down to business.

"I thought it was time we made sure we were all on the same page.. By now you likely all know what Cryax Bane did. In case you do not.. He has betrayed the Ravens. Turned on us. His family."

That last was said with a snarl. Chiasa might not actually have a very good grasp on what a family was, but the Ravens were the closest that she had.

"He tried to steal our credits, this was stopped. He tried to steal away our slicers, the ones who worked directly under him. They too were stopped. Permanently. He did bring down the Cryptnet and made off with our data. The most pertinent of which was our roster."

She looked at those assembled.

"And he's brought it directly to the One Sith."

She let that sink in for a moment.

"As most of you also know, we are no longer allied with the Sith. They have violated our treaty too many times. They thralled Cryax at one point. They tortured and tried to thrall me. How sad that they have found I am not quite so.. malleable."

A feral grin that exposed sharp canines.

"They refuse to allow our autonomy. The Ravens answer to no one. So. The Sith are our enemies. Consider them hostile. Expect them to know your face. Take care."

"This in mind, we have allied with the Rebel Alliance. I don't expect you to like it, I do expect you to abide by it. They are under new management. The queen who shot Lysle, though not as well as she thought, is now running the Republic, so save your spite for her."

"To clear things up matters of hierarchy. I am not acting anything. I am President. Patricia is being moved to Vice-President. Keira, you've never struck me as the secretarial type. Executive Assistant. Lurcano, if you can learn to control that mouth you remain Sergeant-at-Arms. Xalus stays in charge of my personal security. I understand there's something of a bounty on my head. Apparently the Sith are worried. They should be."

Again the grin.

"We are going to get rid of Sith allies in our own backyard first. While this is going on we'll reach out to some of the other major players. Certain powerhouses who might do better against the Sith if they had access to some of our toys, and some of the ways we wage war."

This amused her. Were the Ravens going to line up on a battlefield across from the Sith? Of course not. But sabotage, theft, assassination, hits. These were all fair game.

"You may have noticed a name I did not assign a rank to earlier. Lysle is Lysle, and he will continue to be so."

This seemed like enough to her. She would not elaborate. She would place him neither above nor below her, but made it clear that he was still a figure of influence, and one to be listened to. Besides, it was convenient that the galaxy at large still thought him dead. The more people knew otherwise the likelier the chances that this would not last, but for now while the target was firmly on her back.. He could operate with relative ease. After all, he'd still been listed as dead in the rosters.

 

[Xalus]

Stand quietly and be unnoticeable was his job. None of the newcomers so much as looked in his direction more than once. When people typically saw an armored man standing behind someone giving a speech, they always assumed that he was some elite commando that never spoke and would never cause a ruckus if things got down and dirty.

Well, they were right.

It was never in his best interest to stop a full-throttle Chiasa mid-sentence. While he had surely stopped speeders and tanks before - often with his own body - he would never do such a thing to a vicious, elegant woman like her. The Ravens' upper staff always seemed like respectable people, and they were. They just liked playing as the villains of the galaxy. Cutthroats, assassins, thugs, crime lords, drug runners, and smugglers. They had names for all the people like he and his comrades: outlaws, scum.

Xalus had to admit it: he liked the reputation. It all came with the job, and now his job was sticking it to the One Sith. How he would figure out how to do so was something to be brought up later. For now, his duties would lie alongside Chiasa and her daily affairs. Commandos teams had already been embedded into every area where she operated, Xalus was with her every hour of everyday, and his eyes were never the only pair watching out for her.

Buckle up, safety first.

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"], [member="Jarven Zexxel"], [member="Jen"], [member="Zenva Vrotoa"], [member="Lurcano Car'dann"], [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"], [member="The Upright Man"], [member="Keira Ticon"], [member="Patricia Susan Garter"]

 

[Darth Assimilus]

Betrayal...

Chuckling slightly he remembered seeing Cyrax on Coruscant a couple times, this explained why. The Red Ravens were ready to get dirty and give One Sith a big headache. As Kezeroth listened to [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] talk he could only nod in agreement, If he had a beating heart it would be alive with excitement. Their goals aligned with is own! Indeed this was a time for celebration. The Sith Tolerated Kezeroth, he taught their acolytes and such he could provide valuable information to the Red Ravens and assist in whatever their plans were. Under his armored mask the Brute smiled wide, raising his arm to press a button on his neck his mask retracted back revealing a Dark mutated face with a sinister grin. He had found a new respect for the Twi'lek for going through a small portion of Sith Torture, Something Kezeroth endured for years.

Waiting till only she was done speaking was when he began to speak. " Whom who has tasted my pain earns only my Respect." he paused. " With that said I gladly suggest you to use...No! Abuse my services against the karking sith. Dont be fooled because I can walk freely in their temples, I will never forgive them for what they have done to me! Im out for Blood! Besides the Enemy of my Enemy is my friend." he stated to make it clear that he wanted nothing more then to assist in their activities.

[member="Xalus"]
[member="Jarven Zexxel"]
[member="Jen"]
[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]
[member="Lurcano Car'dann"]
[member="The Upright Man"]
[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Alexandria Fraytal]

Seven had been the seventh to enter. How amusing. The woman had stayed quiet while the others trickled in, eyes watching those gathered with care. There wasn't anything she really had to add to the pre-meeting conversations. Even if her instincts made her want to comfort the youngster who cried out. She was, after all, a recent addition to the Ravens. Despite that she had already grown fond of the avian creatures. Especially the razor-toothed alpha. [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]. Warrior women have to stick together, yes? Seemingly, in times like these, they really, really do. That became more and more apparent as the orange one spoke of betrayal. Of worry. Of the future. Had Seven (real name Alexandria Fraytal) been with the criminals longer she would have been concerned. Instead she was simply... angry. Angry at those who had wronged her new allies.

And she was angry that she hadn't been there to stop them.

When the spiel had ended she thought hard about what she could do. Fighting was her thing. Tracking animals was her thing. Breaking fools and burning down enemy villages were her thing. But her experience lay only with the Tuskens on Tatooine. Not once had she worked with modern weapons, modern fighters, modern wars. What assistance could she provide?... Well, she was good at making people squeal. Give her ten minutes, a rack, and a nice knife and you'd know where the enemy fortress was. Or who hired the assassin. Or who the assassin would be pretending to be. That sort of thing. Maybe with a little training Seven could turn into a real asset for the Ravens. If not... they always needed ground troops. Everybody does.

After a moment the Tusken-Vahla spoke, accent heavy, tone stiff:

"The Ravens have my allegiance. Give me your enemies, and I will draw the secrets from their lips. Give me your warriors and I will teach them where to stick the knives into the Sith. Give me your orders, and I will not stop until you are satisfied." It wasn't often that she offered her full services to anyone. But this was the only home she had now. Her tribe was far, far away. And now that she had tasted what the galaxy had to offer... how could she ever let it go? "Command me when you see fit. I will be ready. Always." With that the part time fighter, part time torturer, part time carpenter knelt on one knee, keeping her head bowed. Her loyalty was now etched in stone.

[member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] | [member="Xalus"] | [member="Jarven Zexxel"] | [member="Jen"] | [member="The Upright Man"] | [member="Keira Ticon"] | ​

[member="Lurcano Car'dann"] | [member="Zenva Vrotoa"]​

 

[Keira Priest]

It was true that Keira hadn't been exclusively close to Lysle Rigger, but she knew the man, what he'd accomplished and what he stood for. And, on the day of his supposed death, she'd felt that through the Force as well. But it seemed she'd been relayed false information, as in the next second that supposed dead man was now alive and well, smiling as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened, and it was an everyday occurrence for one to seemingly rise from the ranks of the dead. Whatever sentiments he'd held about that were abolished mere seconds later, as [member="Jen"] made it clear that however happy she was about his return, his disappearance wouldn't be forgiven so easily.

And, of course, [member="Lurcano Car'dann"] had to go and open his mouth without really knowing what he was talking about in the first place. It wasn't a new phenomenon, and certainly not an uncommon one, but this was a time when that sort of commentary wouldn't be tolerated by anyone in the least. This was one of those times. "Lurcano, you would do well to shut your mouth. Right now isn't the time for your enlightening remarks. You're lucky you've lasted as long as you have, let alone being promoted to a position of power almost immediately after joining." Her hand shifted nearly imperceptibly, an attempt by her to tilt his chair, perhaps enough to knock it over, perhaps only unbalancing him. "I think I speak for everyone when I say that any further comments will be met with swift retaliation."

The entrance of [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] didn't go unnoticed, and she nodded in return, not making any further attempt at direct communication. That would come later, when they weren't currently trying to determine the best way to handle a traitor. Still, it was nice to see that he was still around, particularly because they hadn't crossed paths since all that had happened on Kashyyyk, which felt like a lifetime ago given what had recently transpired. That had been when things were more certain, when everyone knew who they could trust and call friend. Now all of that had been turned on its head.

An almost smile flashed across her lips for the briefest of seconds at what [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] had to say in regards to her rank. It was true that she wasn't much of the secretarial type, then again, she was never one for office work to begin with. As long as she was still allotted to do all that she had been previously, there wasn't any cause to complain about her new position. It seemed to entail much of the same duties, anyhow. There were other questions on her mind, more pressing ones. "What would you like to be done in regards to Cryax? I'm willing to participate in or lead any front." It wouldn't be easy, for her or the others, but it was a necessary thing for the safety of those she considered family. Cryax was no longer in that circle.

[member="Xalus"], [member="Jarven Zexxel"], [member="Zenva Vrotoa"], [member="The Upright Man"]

 

[Jarven Zexxel]

Jarven understood the reactions, but he still felt sorry for [member="Lurcano Car'dann"]. He sent a similar message to Lurcano's datapad as he did with Chiasa, Jen, and Patricia. This one read, "I understand the sentiment, Lurc, but that was really bad timing."

Jarven listened to [member="Alexandria Fraytal"]'s small rousing allegiance monologue. She was clearly new and he couldn't understand why she was this dedicated. Jarven figured that everyone was entitled to know why she felt this way and such openness among criminals was uncommon. Besides, if she had a good answer, then it would establish her credibility. If she didn't sound sincere, the Ravens would have something to go on to catch another traitor.

Jarven addressed [member="Alexandria Fraytal"], asking her, "That is a noble proclamation, Miss. However, I'm simply curious as to "why" you declare such a statement."

[member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] [member="Xalus"] [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] [member="Jen"] [member="Zenva Vrotoa"] [member="Lurcano Car'dann"] [member="The Upright Man"] [member="Patricia Susan Garter"]

 

[Alexandria Fraytal]

Without a moment's hesitation she stood, turning to face whoever had spoken to her. For a second she simply looked him over. It was clear, even at a small distance, that the man was shorter than her. But his body language made her certain that he wasn't as new as her. No, he was far to comfortable for that. So she attempted to let some level of respect enter her tone (though her instinct was to growl at him). With as much certainty has her previous words had held she responded...

"Gutta yrab ekta yin darri, vos mein duwa kad twib."... in Tusken.
"I have come to the Ravens from the Yttak tribe on Tatooine. My kin are fierce warriors, wondrous to live and fight with, but they have little knowledge of the galaxy. They are all I could ever go home to. But why would I want to, hmm? Look around you, Doska, see the wonders, the beauty that these avians have created. See all of the glories, the pleasures that they have, that are worth protecting. War can be found anywhere. My thirst for blood while always have a source. This though... where else may I find such things? The Ravens are unique. Or I am simply a stupid, naive fool. And if I am a stupid naive fool... then at least consider me a stupid, naive fool that believes what you have here is good enough to not want to bother looking for anything else."
Seven paused.
"Doska, I offer my services. In return I simply ask for a better home than the burning sands of a desert."

[member="Jarven Zexxel"]​

 

[Jarven Zexxel]

Jarven smiled. It was good to be amongst fellow honest warriors, such as himself. He nodded respectfully at her before he spoke, "Well spoken. Your presence here is very much appreciated and welcome. I do not believe you to be stupid, naive, or a fool. I believe that you will prove yourself on the many fields that will require a demanding performance from you."

[member="Alexandria Fraytal"]