Ask Ryloth It’s breezy out there

Manuk Gagak

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Sith Order
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Champion

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Corbeau
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May 19, 2020
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“Tell your security teams to kill every Ryloth repair team on board.”
“Lord Vader, there are almost a hundred teams aboard! My Emperor?”
“One hundred teams seems a manageable number,” the Emperor said.
– Darth Vader and Darth Sidious ordering a large scale execution of Free Ryloth activists


Her mission brief was simple.

In. Out. Cause maximum damage.

She’d arrived in the Gaulus sector and more specifically, the Ryloth system. The planet itself had three moons and was known primarily as a stopover on the Corellian Run, as well as Mumble’s Turnaround.

It was also the homeworld of the Twi’lek. Historically, it had been of use to the Sith. Count Dooku secretly backed coups on Ryloth as part of larger political attempts to seed discontent in the galaxy’s Outer Systems during the Separatist Crisis. Manuk had done her homework!

None of these facts were why Manuk was here. Ryll was. It was a mineral found on several worlds, notably Ryloth. Spice-refined ryll, harvested from the countless mines that made Ryloth porous – and its derivatives had many purposes, particularly in the science and medical fields.

Ryloth's capital city, Lessu, was built into – and spiralled around – a wind-carved stone spire as large as a mountain. The walls, villas, and more modest homesteads and businesses of the city clung like so much lichen to the face of the spire. Thousands of reinforced tunnels and natural caves also pockmarked the stone. They reminded Manuk of the aftermath of an artillery barrage. The city had seen a lot of strife, as had the planet, and it showed.

She headed out of the starport, past a drunk sleeping in a heap against the wall, and onto the street. The thoroughfare filled her senses: the sounds of traffic and the hum of passer’s by; the smell of cooking fires, spice pipes, and the sweaty, dry stink of a typical Ryloth night. The wind painted her robe against her form and she felt eyes on her, gazes lingering on her sleek figure, but she ignored them.

She hailed a taxi with a raised arm. She told the driver to take her to the Octagon, one of the main plazas in Lessu, bordered on all eight sides by cantinas and clubs.

The Octagon sat about halfway up Lessu’s spire, dug deeply into the stone. The bottom level of the plaza was thirty metres down, and a series of carved stone stairways, tunnels, and balconies, all torch-lit, led up to ever higher tiers and more stairways, creating a maze-like warren that eventually descended back to street level.

Various cantinas and clubs were burrowed out of the stone, their interiors hidden from view. A steady stream of vehicles and businessmen, often in the company of Twi'lek escorts, made their way to and from the Octagon's various levels. Lighted signs and paid hawkers advertised for this or that establishment.

Manuk eyed them from the window of her taxi and hated them all. But for a need to get an access code, she would not have come to this rendezvous point – but she unfortunately had no choice.

@Padmé
 

Süss Ewig

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Processing

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It seemed like ages ago when Süss Ewig read about an alleged Sith activists murder on Ryloth. Back then Ewig had just started working for CTN News and didn't want to ruffle any feathers with the powers to be. Since then, CTN News has promoted Ewig as one of the top executives at the station. A move which justifies Süss growth and worth to the network.

"Forge look at this," Ewig called out to her manager. "Yes, I heard. In fact I arranged something between you and a Ms. Ryll today." Ewig would usually scold her manager for lack of securing her consent prior to the meeting, however, the alleged Ryloth activists case was something that highly struck a chord with Ewig.

"The Sith are behind the murder, right?" Süss added while closing the datapad. "Gaulus sector is not one of my favorite places to visit, but I'll-" Forge cut off Ewig before she could finish. "It'll be worth your time, trust me." George concluded. "The last time I trusted you I nearly had to use my pistol!"

What seemed like eternity, at least to Ewig, was really half a day. The pair arrived at Octagon in a disguise via a luxury speeder. Half naked Twi’leks, a rather unpleasant smell, all manner of gnarly activities stood for display. Nothing within the borders of Octagon could be remotely compared to the luxurious Kaal island that Süss had grown used to. The pair would pass by the woman known as Ryll without as much as realizing. "Name and code," the firm voice of a rather homely man halted the pair at the rendezvous point. "Activists..." Ewig said in her most annoyed voice,however, the man didn't budge. " ..CTN News if you must know." At that the gate rendezvous point opened and George sped up to park the speeder. "If this is a trap, you'll have hell to deal with once we get out." Süss concluded while exiting the speeder and unfolding the wrinkles from her attire.
 

Manuk Gagak

Character
Sith Order
Rank
Champion

Character Profile
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OOC
Corbeau
Joined
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224
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52
The driver set her down and the vehicle’s door opened and the smells hit her instantly, many echoes of the underbelly of Coruscant: smoke and perfume and spice. Laughter and music bounced up from the lower levels.

An older, paunchy businessman in a suit at least one size too small eyed her as the taxi flew off. He propositioned her with raised eyebrows and a knowing smirk, but she ignored him and headed down a nearby stairway.

“Stuck up Kath-mutt,” he called after her – and she contemplated turning around and letting him know what she thought of him for a fleeting moment, before taking a deep breath and remembering her mission brief.

The area was littered with dark corners, secret nooks, narrow tunnels, and blind alleys. Drunks and spice users and working girls lingered here and there, the castaways of Lessu's vice trade. As you descended the Octagon’s tiers, the vices grew worse, the lighted signs more graphic.

With a false smile and use of the Force, she avoided or extricated herself from the groping hands of drunk or spice-hazed deadbeats. One of them removed himself too slowly, so she put a knee in his groin and left him moaning on a stairway. Laughter from above reminded her that she had to be careful about being seen.

Smoke and stink made a fog of the air. Torches were rare, signs were dim or unlit. Humans, Twi’leks, and other sentients moved through the dark stifling air like ghosts, too ashamed of their tastes to engage in them in anything other than near darkness. She moved among them, a ghost herself, looking for a likely spot.

She sat in a nook not far from a spice-and-vice club, cloaked in the darkness and her anger, and watched a man walk out of the club with a young, underfed Twi’lek girl on his arm. The escort had seen maybe twenty summers, and she wore barely enough clothing to cover herself. The man pawed at her as they walked through the night, his sweaty face flushed with the heat and his expectations of what was to come. He leaned over, stumbling, and murmured something in her ear. She smiled, the false smile that Manuk knew well and had worn often.

Sure there were no sentries posted outside the club, Manuk finally emerged from the shadows and entered the den of iniquity.

@Padmé
 

Süss Ewig

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Processing

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The darkness hindered the activities within the city. It was to be expected given the host of things the city is known for; spice, all manner of gnarly activities and the worst one yet, modern day slavery.

"Wait a second Forge," the CTN News journalist whispered in the middle of fixing the wrinkles from her attire. "That's her. Stop her before she disappears." Ewig quickly pulled out her datapad to compare the image. To her surprise the woman she saw emerge from the shadows seconds ago was indeed Manuk’s.

"Make haste Forge. It is her." Forge quickly turned off the speeder, jumped and followed after the woman they saw in the shadows. Manuk's image remained flagged on facial recognition software in Ewig's hand. Ewig pondered on what role Manuk played in the alleged execution of Free Ryloth activists. "She better be on the right side." Ewig pondered while anxiously pacing and waiting for George to emerge with the young girl.
 

Manuk Gagak

Character
Sith Order
Rank
Champion

Character Profile
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OOC
Corbeau
Joined
May 19, 2020
Messages
224
Reaction score
52
She found a booth in the rear of the cantina, with a bottle of Corellian whisky and a good deal of space between herself and the next patrons. In her dark attire, and given the establishment’s ‘atmospheric’ lighting, she managed to blend in well with the shadows.

She did her best not to glance around the room and instead listened to nearby conversations.

“Well, have you imbibed enough liquid courage, yet? Or am I going to be sitting here all night?” Clearly a card game in progress.

“Two Mon Calamari and a Quarren swim into a cantina…” There was always someone who thought that was an original joke.

She could be patient when necessary but this was different. Yes, she was on a mission – but the wait did not feel like it served a purpose. If anything, it increased the chance of someone approaching her – which would likely be cause to draw attention to herself. Which would never do.

So, she remained calm and impassive and poured herself a shot of whisky – before downing it in one and re-filling her glass. Hopefully her contact would show him or herself soon.

@Padmé
 
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