If You Listen Close Enough

[Vosrik]

Marcus Rahn stood in the Abyss Watcher as it pierced through space at hyperspeed. His meeting with the Jedi at the commemoration went...well, much worse than expected. That crazy blonde one nearly ran him through with a sword! Master Tanari assured him that the rest of the Army wasn't like that, and Marcus knew he simply had to take the man's word for it. At least, he'd have to if he wanted to make any meaningful connections with the Jedi. But that was all part of the plan, wasn't it? Another layer to hide under, another lie.

Marcus let out an uncharacteristic cackle before muscles, bones, and cartilage warped and writhed underneath his skin. A minute later, black hair was replaced by a wild sandy brown and the man was no longer recognizable as Marcus in the slightest. Lucius rolled his shoulders, breathing in the air from the ship he so adored. He had a meeting with the Reclusiarch today.

It was in the listening post on one of the Moons of Iego that he found Shiro. The central control room was a work of art as much as it was technology - a great sphere that rippled with information as it picked up signals and cosmic signatures. It was strategic, powerful, and well-hidden. Lucius' footsteps echoed across the room as he approached the sphere, eyeing it as multiple voices were picked up and replayed. He could look at it for hours, it was so entertaining.

@Shalken​

 

[Shalken]

Shiro leaned against the control pad, staring intently at the information streaming across the display. The Black Garden was designed to subtly gather gather from the surrounding systems. While the Conclave made good use of this, they were currently forced to use the listening post as a temporary staging and command post. This would change once they got their carrier up and running, but until then, this would have to do.

The Reclusiarch's ears picked up a strange sound, however - someone approaching the holograph. Peering around it, his jaw nearly dropped as he recognized to newcomer to be none other than Lucius Vasch. He had scheduled a meeting with the man in that location later that day, and was definitely not expecting him to arrive so uncharacteristically early. If there was one thing you could rely on Lucius to do, it was showing up fashionably late to important meetings, especially ones like these.

Regaining his composure, Shiro observed, "You're early...which means your previous business must have gone either very well or very badly."

@Vosrik​

 

[Vosrik]

As subtle as dear Shiro thought he was, Lucius caught the visible restrain he showed. The Disciple wasn't angry though, simply amused.

Well," Lucius began, while quietly clearing his throat and shuffling a little, "it certainly could have gone better, I'll admit." He walked up to the control panel next to Shiro, forcibly looking at the giant hologram. He lifted his eyebrows for a moment, leaning in slightly and whispering "Jedi." Lucius nodded thoughtfully, not really giving much more info but fully expecting his superior to understand.

"So what's on the menu today? Another raid, more contracts, my bol—MY BOLAS!" Lucius' eyes lit up light lamps as he made a mad dash to another end of the control room, rummaging around what was clearly a technician's workshop and manufacturing printer. Finding his prize, he picked up a set of ElectroMag Bolas and spun them around expertly. "Oh, I'm going to have so much fun with these!"

Twirling them around, Lucius flung them towards Shiro's midsection - without the electric function activated.

@Shalken​

 

[Shalken]

Even though Shiro nodded knowingly when the Disciple whispered the hint of who he had been dealing with, the Duke actually had no idea what the man was talking about. Weren't the Jedi more characterized as peaceful, cooperative folk? Thinking twice about it, the Reclusiarch had only ever seen them in battle, and the Jedi had just lost two of their most sacred worlds to the Sith. Plus, they'd also painted a huge target on their back after wiping out the entire Moff council in retaliation. Perhaps their mistrust wasn't entirely misplaced, after all.

"We've received several new contracts over the past week. Our first one was nullified, obviously, because the man was....." Shiro trailed off, seeing Lucius practically pounce across the room, latching onto the bolas and flicking them around playfully like a cat would display its prey. The Duke shook his head in disappointment, only to have alarm shoot through his body as said weapon suddenly whipped through the air directly towards his torso. Deftly stepping to the side and carefully snatching the bolas at their center, Shiro rebuked, "LUCIUS! Control yourself! This facility is filled with extremely expensive sensitive electronics which we can't afford to have damaged!" He stepped towards the Disciple, handing the contraption back. "Save your antics for the training arena."

Sighing in consternation, he redirected his attention back to the command holograph and pointed towards the Hoth system. "We recently received a distress signal from an old settlement on Hoth. Apparently before it folded, the Accord discovered the locations of the Shards of Vhoro - stars know how - and decided to look into it. In the end, the residents convinced them to leave it alone and destroy their records, but we have to make sure this secret stays hidden. I'd also like to re-establish proper contact with this settlement and set it up as a proper base of operations. Though that area is Sith-controlled space, a point of contact that far in the Galactic South is something we could make good use of."

@Vosrik​

 

[Vosrik]

The playful Disciple visibly drooped when Shiro caught the bolas and rebuked him. Approaching the Reclusiarch again and taking the new toy, he clipped them to his belt and listened attentively. Shiro mentioned the Shards of Vhoro, and Lucius tapped the holographic file to read more about the particular subject. His eyes widened as they scanned the document, realizing the destructive potential should the shards be re-forged. He swiped it closed once finished, and took a look at the rest of the Galactic map on display.

"What about the other locations where the Shards were kept? Surely we should...make sure they're still safe, mmh?" Lucius commented. "Also, how are the renovations of your estate coming along?" Shiro would know that Lucius was clearly referring to the covert Conclave safehouse being constructed right underneath the Duke's lavish estate on Serenno. Lucius himself had an estate — well, Silas Keep did. He felt it best not to mix his personas however, and decided not to leave any trace of his connection to the Conclave.

Grabbing the holographic map of the Galaxy, he spun it to look closer at some of the other planets and systems in the northern sectors. "My..gee..to," Lucius murmured, selecting the planet and reading up on its information. "Ooh, owned by the Bankers! I think it'd be worth our time to investigate, perhaps found a safehouse there." The Disciple turned to look at Shiro, wondering his thoughts on the idea.

@Shalken​

 

[Shalken]

Shiro nodded solemnly at Lucius' mention of the other locations of the Shards. Though the Conclave did have them on file, they were by no means in contact with either of them. He could only hope they had remained undiscovered, and that their protectors had kept their duty.

"The expansions to my mansion on Serenno are almost entirely complete. All they need are some furnishing and re-stocking." While it wasn't nearly as large as some of their other locations, more of a pit-stop really, it would serve as a secure location should any operatives go deep into Imperial space and need somewhere safe to stay.

Shiro was just about to ask the shapeshifter about any ideal locations he had in mind, considering he was likely the most well-traveled out of all of them, but it seemed Lucius was already one step ahead. He stepped in to take a closer look. "The Bankers? You mean the Muun clans?" The planet in question was very religiously guarded, and would take more than just flying in and setting up shop. Lucius sure did set his goals high. "It would take some work - and no small amount of tact - but I think it could be done. An alliance with the banking clans would give us a lot of leverage, as well."

Turning away from the planet's readout, Shiro grasped a small message relay and widened it for the Disciple to see. "It looks like word is getting around about us. While we haven't yet caught the attention of the Sith or the Dominion, both the Void Serpents and the Kjlljk Protectorate have expressed interest in doing business." The Reclusiarch then pulled up three datasheets. "That being said, the Paladins of Mortis seem to be more aligned with our cause. Thoughts?"

@Vosrik​

 

[Vosrik]

Lucius smirked at the Reclusiarch's reply. "Ah, so we can crash at your place if we need to now? That'd be wonderful!" he exclaimed. "And yes, the Bankers. Most of our funds go through them as it is, that's until we get our Vaults built though. Unless they're finished and you didn't tell me...again." The Disciple looked askance at his superior. Of course, Lucius had no business knowing anything Shiro didn't want to tell him, but he made the Reclusiarch feel bad about it anyway.

"Oh good, does that mean more Contracts will float our way?" Lucius commented, lazily sliding a hand over the shiny control panel of the projector. "My thoughts? As long as they don't stick their noses too far in our business, I'll be happy. Though we should focus our resources in other places — a more secure method of contacting each other, for starters."

He shrugged, plopping a Nabooian grape into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully for a few moments while savouring the taste in its entirety. "What if we got one of those smaller groups to build something for us? A private network of some sort. Though," he frowned while looking at the ceiling, cheeks puffed out with grapes. "We wouldn't want them having access either."

@Shalken​

 

[Shalken]

Shiro rolled his eyes at Lucius' mention of "crashing at his place". "It's a safehouse, and a small one at that. Only meant for two or three people, just a pit-stop. I don't want anyone suspecting anything. As for the Vaults...that's classified." Though the Reclusiarch did trust the Disciple's discretion, he was still in no place to know all of the Conclave's secrets.

Closing the tabs that detailed the other factions, he replied, "Not necessarily, these people don't exactly seem the kind to write up contracts. I don't understand why not, considering we're the ones doing the dirty work, but ultimately that's up to them."

Ignoring Lucius as he munched on some grapes that seemed to appear out of nowhere, Shiro instead addressed his mention of the communications system. "That would be extremely useful; piggybacking off of these other networks is very risky, a closed system would be much more reliable. But no, we can't risk commissioning someone else to do it - people can be bought, and it would be disastrous if our network was sabotaged. As tedious as it sounds, we'll have to make it ourselves. We have some mechanics on board the Majula, as well as scattered throughout our various bases. We have all the money to buy the resources we need."

Shutting down the active holograms he was using, he leaned back to address Lucius. "Speaking of money, I'm quickly realizing that our prices are more and more being considered 'standard rate', especially comparing them to the open Bounty Board. However, if we raise them too high, we risk not having any customers approach us."

@Vosrik​

 

[Vosrik]

"Classified? You're really pulling that one on me?" Lucius scoffed, faking an exasperated sigh. He was still only a Disciple though, of course. He mostly toned out the rest of what Shiro said, becoming more and more bored by the discussion by the minute. At least, until he mentioned money.

"Shiro, we're a luxury that people need to buy. Anonymous, clean killings. No strings attached and less messy than hiring a Bounty Hunter. The more the Conclave proves itself and makes itself known, the more people will pay."

Lucius gave his bolas a final twirl before clipping them to his side. After thinking long and hard about it, he realized he'd have to put an end to Marcus Rahn. That persona had been...compromised. There was one last action he'd need to take before starting a new one. The shapeshifter had work to do. Stepping away from the console, he commented absentmindedly to nobody in particular, "The Dominion's doing rather well, isn't it? Time to take advantage of that I think..."

Finis​