Open Army of Light: A Sullust Spinoff

[Drow Venn]

OOC: Open to all Jedi who want some negotiation experience

Jedi Master Drow Venn had been getting very familiar with the planet Sullust and it had been entirely unintentional. His years as a Jedi had brought him here more times than he could count; mostly to fight Sith. Since they'd been driven off, he'd also been here to pick at some Sith military surplus that got left behind in the liberation of the planet for some dalliances that the Jedi Council would find quite unappealing if they'd received word. The people were nice here but the damn lava and heat made the aquatic Ishi Tib very uncomfortable.

But comfort wasn't what brought Drow here today; it was recruitment. Far from the Order's best negotiator, Drow had been sent here because he knew how to talk to fighters. And The Cursed Hand were certainly fighters. When the Sith had occupied the planet, there had been more than a handful of resistance pockets springing up to retaliate; most of them unsuccessful. The Cursed Hand had survived and, after the liberation of the planet, had advocated for an isolationist Sullustan government to better prevent future takeovers. They were unsuccessful and were now causing some trouble; robbing government payrolls, threatening politicians and even bombing the now-abandoned factory building that the Sith had erected. Some classified them as terrorists to the new regime while others said they were heroes. Drow wasn't much one to care about such distinctions; he saw them just as people who hated the Sith. And if they hated the Sith so bad, they might be convinced that their energies would be better spent hurting the Sith instead of their own people. Drow was finishing his cup of caff in a local Sullustan cafe - free of charge the owner insisted due to the role he'd played in liberating Sullust - and waited for the leader of the Cursed Hand to meet him there.

 

[Sace Vsil]

Sace remembered his first official day into the Order being that of the Jedi Founding...there he'd met with a Jedi master, Drow Venn, who mentioned his exploits on the planet of Sullust. Through their conversation he'd gathered that he favored a specific cantina on the planet...one he had just barely remembered the name for.

"Your gunna have to stay with the ssship!" Sace commanded Shorty...his early model astromech droid. The droid came back with a snarky comment, though the Sluissi ignored it as he was more focused on retaining the name of the cantina.

He doirned light Jedi robes, as the atmosphere was decently suited for the cold-blooded serpent. Going straight up to the first Sullustan he saw at the space port, Sace asked where he could find the cantina in question. With decent enough direction, the Sluissi slithered off.

Well within the working class of the Sullust city confines, the cantina wasnt too hard to find for someone new to this planet. Heading on in, the Sluissi scanned the cantina for any familiar faces...recently wherever he had gone, he was met with his master, Yvain. Though he could not see the small green Jedi here, though he could spot the Ishi Tib he'd spoke to at the Founding.

"Hello missster Venn...figured I''d help out where I can and learn a thing or two...Mind if I join you?"

@Fantasy Liver

 

[Drow Venn]

"Sace, good to see you again my friend. It's always good to get some diplomatic experience under your belt as a Jedi. It's saved my life more times than I thought it would." Drow said, clapping his new friend on his scaly shoulder. He had met the Sluissi on Yavin during the Founding and he seemed like a good kid who was eager to please.

"That being said, I told you to just call me Drow." the Ishi Tib Master said firmly though with a cheeky grin on his face. As the two Jedi took their seats, an elderly and paunchy Sullustan walked in, flanked by two rough-and-tumble looking bodyguards. The guards waited by the door while the old Sullustan took a seat from across the Jedi.

"Make this quick. Only reason I'm here is you helped liberate our planet. Otherwise, I wouldn't treat with outsiders." the Sullustan said. This was Cur Dallop - leader of the Cursed Hand a noted Sullustan supremacist and isolationist. Convincing him to join forces with outsiders was going to be difficult and this situation would have to be approached delicately.

"I understand your hesitation. I'll get right to the point. You were rebelling against the Sith for quite awhile and now they've gone like cowards. Do you really want them to slink off and leave without full payback?" Drow asked.

"I care about Sullust. The Sith have been dealt with on Sullust. Why should I care what they do outside of it?" Cur sneered derisively. Drow swallowed and hoped the Sluissi Padawan might have something better to say.

OOC: 14/100 - total fail at trying to relate to Cur's struggle.

@Just Matt Now

 

[Sace Vsil]

Sace smiled. As all Jedi he had met with so far, Drow was very approachable, even for a master of the Order. Sace knew that he was in good hands, despite never really dealing with diplomatic matters such as this. Which is why the Sluissi knew to do some studying once he heard about the mission, the temple on Yavin certainly had all the proper records, though Sace could only bare to read books for so long. He felt comfortable in what he had read and caught up on regarding Sullust and its people.

Sace took a seat opposite Drow, though soon stood following the masters lead as a Sullustan walked through the doors accompanied by two body guards who remained at the front. As the Sullustan had said, he respected master Drow and with that respect agreed to meet with him. Sace didnt realize just how much of a hero that Drow was to these people...envy set in towards the master and his deeds, though his focus was quickly broken by the exchange of words...

"You sssay that the sssith have been dealt with here...but how could you be so sssure? And are you willing to risk your freedom on the chance that they will not try to return. We will be able to help with your defense ssshould the sssith decide that they are ssstrong enough to attack yet again...as you musst know from history...they are extremely resilient."

Dice Roll: 65/100
@Fantasy Liver

 

[Drow Venn]

Drow hid the flicker of a small smile. Here he was floundering with his words when this kid had the real knack for diplomacy. It helped remind Drow of just why they were fighting for and made him proud of the new generation of Jedi. And it seemed that Cur was at least chewing over those words as he hadn't said anything to the contrary yet.

"The kid's got a point. The Sith don't like being humiliated and your world could become a target again if the Sith are allowed to regain their strength." Drow said before he was silenced by a hand from Cur Dallop. The old Sullustan looked just about done with Drow.

"Stop talking, Ishi Tib. I know how dangerous the Sith are. I lived under their rule remember? I'm as eager to hunt them down as the next man. But how can I trust you Jedi really will help with Sullust's defenses? Only Sullustans priortize Sullust. We've been let down by outsiders before." Cur asked Sace, sneering as he did so. Sensing the resistance leader was responding better to the Sluissi, Drow thought back on one of the core teachings he'd learned as a Jedi; know when to shut up.

OOC: 19/100 - Drow fails again to win over Cur. He's shutting up now and leaving it up to Sace.

@Just Matt Now

 

[Sace Vsil]

Sace wondered...he had a response in his head, although he was sure that it could be portrayed as overstepping...especially saying it before a Jedi master. Though this mission was clearly one of some importance, especially to Drow, therefore Sace would not hold back.

"Well...what if I sssaid that you Sssullustanss would be the ones organizing your own defense...only with the resources of the Jedi?" Sace could hear his own words and cringed himself. "Who better to organize your own defenses?...though when it comes time to certain decisions being made...thats when you let the wisdom of our Jedi masssters guide us all..."
Sace was in this together with them whether they saw that or not. The least he could do is talk to them with that exact sentiment and hope that find some comfort in it. Sace didnt know if what he had suggested could even be done, though it seemed the only way at this point. They were clearly stubborn and would have it no other way than their own, and if this would help save them from continued slavery than so be it.

The Sluissi looked over at Drow to attempt to ascertain his emotions to what he had said, although he could not. Sace only hoped that he did not promise something that he could not deliver.

Dice Roll: 45/100
@Fantasy Liver

 

[Drow Venn]

Cur was clearly weighing his options as the Sluissi spoke. On the one hand, his organization badly needed resources and allies as they were hardly a popular faction on Sullust right now and, in fact, most of the members had several warrants out for their arrest. On the other hand, dealings with Force Sensitive factions were what got Sullust enslaved and exploited to begin with. He pursed his lips together, closed his eyes for a moment and then spoke.

"Tell you what Jedi, I'll throw in with you. My men will too. But you got to do something in return. We get to keep all of your weapons and resources you give us, even after the war is over. And your Council guarantees the Cursed Hand and anyone who believes in our ideals some land for us to call our own with no interference from the Republic or the Council again. What do you say to that?" the elder Sullustan inquired. Drow whistled softly. That was a steep price to pay and he would certainly have to contact the Council shortly to get the go-ahead. But, personally, he saw it as a price worth paying and was proud of Sace for his keen diplomacy.

@Just Matt Now

OOC: I'm going to have someone DM as a Council member to see if we can get approval for this.

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Lena could not be there in person, of course, not just because it wouldn't make sense to send a Council Member to a planet surrounded by Sith space but because she was a very busy woman. Specifically she had been performing a surgery when one of the Knights assisting her told her that Drow was trying to get in contact with her. She ignored the call for a little while, just long enough to ensure that the patient could be treated by the assistants, before stepping away.

Harried, over-worked and dressed in her medical gear, Lena arrived at the transmitter for the hologram call after a short amount of waiting. On the holocall she could see both Drow and Sace waiting for her. Raising a hand in acknowledgement, she let out a small sigh.

"Sorry to keep you waiting - I was busy in the infirmary when the call came through."

Left unsaid, of course, was that said surgery had been rather important. But Lena trusted Drow well enough to trust that he would only really call her on this kind of line, with the clearance codes he'd used, if it was important. Nodding to the Padawan in acknowledgement, she turned slightly to address the Master.

"Master Venn, bring me up to speed. What do you need?"

No one called the Council for anything that wasn't urgent after all.

@Just Matt Now @Fantasy Liver

 

[Drow Venn]

"Master, we've begun negotiations with Cur Dallop. The Cursed Hand is willing to lend its support to the Jedi with some conditions. They want to keep any resources and arms we give them and they want some land to call their own. They're isolationists at heart and they want to start their own society away from the Republic and mainstream Sullust." Drow said, well away from Cur and, thus, out of earshot. He looked towards Sace to see if the Sluissi had anything further to add.

@Just Matt Now @Nefieslab

 

[Sace Vsil]

Sace felt pressure. Cur was strong willed and knew exactly what he wanted. Which made negotiating extremely difficult. The Padawan knew that he himself had no authority to make this decision, however it was an offer that got them interested which is a huge start from the beginning of their conversation. Sace looked over at Drow, who seemed to be letting the Padawan sort this out himself. Which only added on to the pressure, this felt more like a test than the real thing.

"That is quite ssspecific...clearly your a man who knows jussst what he wants...well, sssomthing like that goes above my head. Though, I sssupose we could make a call to the Council for approval." Sace noticed that Drow was moving away to make the call to the Council. "Please...jussst give us a moment." Sace said as he followed Drow out of earshot of the Sullustans.

Sace waited as Drow filled the Council in on their proceedings with the Sullustans.

"Master, I fear that they will bow out of any sssort of cooperation if this wish is not fulfilled. We have come far from where our conversation ssstarted to even have an offer sssuch as thisss." Sace fell quiet and hoped for the best. He wasnt sure if he was talking out of turn, only being a Padawan and all, though his effort to persuade Cur made him feel a sort of personal connection to this endeavor at this point.

@Fantasy Liver @Nefieslab

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Of all the things she had been expecting, this was hardly among the number. She was a Jedi Master of the Council and had heard a lot of things in the past but this one? This one seemed rather different to what she had been expecting from the Master and Padawan duo. She honestly thought she must have misheard or misunderstood something, actually, because what she seemed to hear just sounded... not good.

At all.

"The Cursed Hand." she repeated as though she had not really heard Drow for a moment before nodding her head, "The Cursed Hand is asking us to make conditions for... for what? I..."

Lena just stared at the two Jedi for a long moment before letting out a slow breath.

"Master Venn... Drow." She snapped her eyes to the Master and seriously just stared the man down, "None of what either of you have just said makes even the slightest bit of sense. They are isolationists... who are going to aggressively expand into Sith-held territory because the Jedi Order is going to, somehow, convince the local liberated governments, the FWA, New Republic and ISC that a terrorist splinter group has a right to a planet, or planets, that supersedes that of the oppressed local populace."

The Jedi Council member scowled and she would suddenly feel both physically and metaphorically larger than she had a moment ago as she drew herself up to her full height and focused entirely on the two Jedi in front of her on the holocom. Thoughts of the wounded, for once, left her mind entirely and she was a Jedi Council Member - no longer the healer of the Order.

"Explain yourselves very thoroughly and very clearly because right now? Right now this seriously comes across as a poorly-thought out, naked, attempt at power brokering. We are not Sith, gentlemen, we do not trade in power and make deals that decide the fates of millions based on which political splinter faction benefits our goals at the time."

@Fantasy Liver @Just Matt Now

 

[Drow Venn]

Drow wanted to counter to the Councilwoman that making these deals was exactly the way to defeat the Sith. But Drow was an outlier amongst the Jedi and he not only didn't resent Lena for making this declaration but he actually respected her for it.

"Master, whenever a revolution happens, there's always different factions who want to take the planet in different direction. The Cursed Hand is just one of those factions that happened to have lost. But terrorists? The term is thrown around easily. But, by that logic, one could just as easily argue that the very Jedi, myself included, who infiltrated Sullust to stealthily take out guards, steal supplies and bomb the Sith base were terrorists as well. "

"As for aggressive expansion, apologies if I implied that. They do not want to do that. In fact, they really don't want to be a part of the galaxy at large at all. They really just want a piece of land where they and their followers can live according to their beliefs and they're willing to help us fight the Sith to do so."

"But more importantly, the situation on Sullust is tense right now with the Cursed Hand and their followers clashing with the fledgling government. That's not good for anyone on Sullust. It's my opinion that taking the Cursed Hand off of Sullust to fight the Sith will be good for this planet, good for the Hand, and good for us." Drow explained calmly. He hoped the Council member would listen to reason. Having a good and reliable force of guerilla fighters could really turn the tide of this war and stop Drow from engaging in...less than savory tactics that he'd been partaking in of late.

@Nefieslab @Just Matt Now

 

[Sace Vsil]

Sace's skills in convincing Cur was strong enough, though he wouldnt dare speak out of turn against the Jedi Council. He had never met this Jedi, though he could tell by her expression and demeanor that she was not one who wanted to hear the thoughts of a lesser Padawan. So the serpent wouldnt bother, not that he had anything to add to Master Venn's speach anyway.

This mission, or diplomatic outreach, was brought up by the Ishi Tib Master, and Sace expected that he had it all figured out. And despite the realization that the council wasnt aware of this mission, Sace figured that Drow had the proper explanation as to its importance to the Order in defending against the sith.

@Fantasy Liver @Nefieslab

 

[The Gatekeeper]

As a member of the Council, and as a Jedi in general, Lena was fairly familiar with playing “Sith’s Advocate” as the Padawans liked to call it. But this was not a friendly debate in the Temple to try and improve the debating skills for negotiation training. This was a Jedi Master trying to convince her that a group of terrorists was comparable to the Jedi Order.

“The Cursed Hand have robbed their own transitional government, threatened political opponents with violence and used explosives to strike terror in an effort to sway local support. Drow, by definition, these are terrorist acts.” She replied calmly with a raised eyebrow, “If you would like, you can argue to Master Grayza that the operation on Sullust was a comparable an act of terrorism. But I don't believe you will.”

Still, there were yet more sticking points.

“You have yet to answer two key questions however; Where will they settle? And how will we enforce this?” she asked, genuinely confused for a moment, “We have no right to give them any kind of assurances as to any land or governing rights. We have a seat on the Galactic senate, true, but we are one advisory voice with a very minor hold on any political capital, nowhere near enough to assure them of anything. Are we to assist them in settling a planet that is liberated from the Sith? Regardless of the will of the local populace? Or perhaps force the new government of Sullust to cede part of their planet to a small splinter faction that answered debate with violence? No, I’m afraid we cannot.”

Lena shook her head.

“If this is the best deal you could get from them then, I’m sorry, but even if the Jedi Order would wish to be associated with such a group we have no legal or moral way to pay the price they have asked for.” She decided at length with a small frown, “I’m afraid that I cannot, as a member of the Jedi Council, sanction such a deal. Thank you for your efforts, both of you, but I’m afraid my position is clear.”

She smiled a little bit to the two Jedi.

“May the Force be with you my friends.”

The line would disconnect – unfortunately the Jedi Councillor had not be persuaded that their mission was for the good of the Jedi, the Sullustians or the Order.

Spoiler: OOC

The Council does not approve the negotiations, any further attempts to secure the co-operation of the Cursed Hand will be done specifically counter to the wishes of the Council.

/Exit Thread

@Fantasy Liver @Just Matt Now

 

[Drow Venn]

Drow wanted to protest that their solution offered to solve a lot of problems; the Cursed Hand would be removed from Sullust to not clash with the establishment and they'd have some foot troopers to throw the Sith's way. He wanted to point out that the Hand had only sprung up and rose to violence due to the occupation of the Sith and that the Jedi would be wise to use such resources. He wanted to point out that there was a wealth of various abandoned planets, moons, asteroids and settlements across the galaxy that no one had any stake to that could be given to the Hand.

This particular mission wasn't to be. Lena had made herself clear and although Drow had long since developed a talent at giving the Councilor a headache with his escapades, in this matter, he would not press the issue.

"Alright kid. Looks like we have our marching orders." Drow said softly, shaking his head but bowing respectfully to Lena. Time for Plan B. The Ishi Tib Jedi came back to the cafe to deliver the news to Cur Dallop.

"Unfortunately, Cur, our Council cannot accept your terms. I wish you luck in your goals but I strongly advise against any further acts of violence against the Sullust establishment. I know there haven't been any casualties yet but continuing this aggression could cause the Jedi Order to be called to deal with the Cursed Hand in a less diplomatic manner if you catch my drift." Drow warned, narrowing his reptilian eyes at the Sullustan leader.

"We're prepared to do what's necessary to ensure a free Sullust." Cur said defiantly. Drow forced a diplomatic smile on his face.

"I'll be sure to let you know if the situation changes. May the Force be with you." Drow said, bowing his head. Those weren't empty words either. Drow very much intended to contact Cur again...though not in an official capacity as a Jedi. But that was for another time...

@Just Matt Now @Nefieslab

/ExitThread