Raider's Convene

[Camellia Swift]

Camellia fidgeted with her uniform as she stared outside at the vast expanse of space, and the view of the planet below. A part of the young woman was highly nervous with the upcoming meeting. It had taken some time and some convincing, but everything was now in place. Although, perhaps the convincing hadn't been quite as difficult as she had first thought it was going to be back when she had went to work pitching the concept to the representatives of the Rendili starship shipyards. They had seemed readily eager with the idea as much as she had been, though perhaps they had leaned more towards financial motives behind their decisions than for pride and progress like her own. Regardless though, the backing of the shipyards had been secured. Now the concept of improving Rendili's image once again as a starship manufacturer could begin in earnest. And at the same time they would make the planet and companies safer and more profitable. She had been lucky there was unrest concerning the lack of prestige and favor from the galactic governments as they had had in older times. And that she enough family influence to garner support.

Smoothing out the last of the wrinkles she could spot and running her hands quickly through her hair, Camellia contented herself with watching the ships drifting to and from the station as she waited for the rest who would be attending this meeting would arrive. Her appearance was fine, she was just wondering how she would be able to convey herself to the others once they were there.

 

[Lady Eona]

Leliana tried to quietly sneak up on Camellia. Regardless if she succeeded or not she would wrap her arms around the Rendili girls waist. Leliana would pull herself close to the taller women her head pressing into her back softly. It had been a few weeks since she had come back to Rendili and met up with her best friend, that was now her girl friend. Out of everyone invited to this meeting, Cam's Lily was the only one she wouldn't have to worry about. Lily would follow her anywhere and do anything to make the Rendili women's dream a reality. She kept quiet for a moment not wanting to interrupt the quite time they where sharing. But she knew she had to say something soon.

"Cam is it safe to say that your project for the future of the Rendili shipyards is fixing to get started"

It was a statement made only because during their time together most of what the Rendili spoke about was this plan of hers. And Lily was happy to listen to her speak about it.

 

[LadyM]

I strolled through the hallways on the station heading for the meeting as I allowed my eyes to observe and note all the preparation work being done in the shipyards . I was happy to be a part of something new and working with others that had such a grand vision of improving a galaxy that was haunted by wars and greed. Though I felt a small ping of nervousness in my stomach. My history was something I tried to keep secret, only allowing a select few know about my past. Especially my nightmares.

I had seen so many different variations of horrors afflicted on the citizens of the galaxy ranging from planets being nearly destroyed, species nearly wiped out, and cities burned and razed to the ground. It was the latter that always haunted me. The memory of watching my homeworld of Coruscant ravaged and destroyed, so many lives lost including my parents, at the hands of the Sith and the Empire played on me the hardest. I still feel powerless from that event.

I glanced down at my left leg, now a mechanical clone of its former self, and my right hand next, another memory from the horrific day. I shook myself out of my own self-loathing and entered the main hanger where I saw both Vice Admiral Sunfell and Fleet Admiral Swift standing by one of the viewports.

"Admiral Sunfell, Admiral Swift," I said snapping off two quick salutes to my superiors. It seemed like another lifetime since I had to properly address a military commander and I smiled to myself when I thought about it. I was in my kind of environment. I was again part of something special. Most importantly, I was home.

 

[Insoulent]

"Vice Admiral!", a woman shouted running down the halls of the shipyard's station. The olive-skinned woman pace slowed to a halt as she turned around to face the voice's origin. "Yes... what is it?" she said unenthusiastically as the woman stopped to salute her in a panicked frenzy. "The meeting is starting ma'am, you haven't--" she paused as the Vice-Admiral simply turned and continued walking in her casual pace. "That's where I was going, I don't need to check in every two minutes, do I?" she eluded as her voice was as stale as ever. "Y-yes ma'am.." the courier woman said as she dropped her hand.

Erykah wasn't one for such formalities, she almost seemed to hate it. She had just got a lead on a pirate group attacking the planet Sneeve and was close to finding their location but was ordered to pull back for yet another meeting. She detested meetings, she'd rather be out in the stars, hunting those pirates, but being that Admiral Camellia ordered it herself, she would oblige. Camellia was the reason she was in her current position, and owed her many favors, plus she was one of the few people in the galaxy was a bit warm to, though usually not infront of others. It was out of respect, and loyalty, but that still didn't change the fact she still had a job to do. She had been told some of the best officers and even the other Admirals would be attending, but that was just the gossip among her easily wondered crew. Either way, she had decided to wear her officer's uniform, coveted with various medals and ribbons. She carried the cap under her right armpit, opting to not wear it over her wild array of dreads which were now pulled back in her usual ponytail.

On her side, she had a low-end blaster pistol she was given by one of her crewmates, but she didn't intent to use it as it was neatly tucked inside its holster. It was just cautionary, and more for aesthetic purposes, since she was without guard detail, opting to give them the day off, considering they were in their own Headquarters, she had little doubt she'd be attacked. Confidence in the company and all that. She finally stepped to the double-door blast doors of the meeting room, as she noticed the two familiar faces and one a bit more unfamiliar. She was an officer by the looks of it, saluting the other Admirals in the room. The other Vice-Admiral had her hands placed upon Camellia's waist, something that simply sat wrong with Erykah, as she cleared her throat to exert her presence to the room. "Ahem!" she cleared her throat, giving a sharp glance at the other Vice-Admiral.

While she wasn't usually one for formality, there was still a certain decorum she believed had to come with their rank. She paced to the group, keeping her eyes on the other Vice-Admiral, and finally reaching to stand next to the officer, which was infront of the two other Admirals. She brought her hand to salute, the only one she'd ever salute at least, Camellia. "Admiral..." she said in a monotone voice, finally pulling her eyes off the other Vice-Admiral, and putting her vision to meet with Camellia's. "I apologize for the tardiness. I was enjoying the new additions to the shipyards. Are we still waiting for anyone else?" she questioned, as she dropped her hand to her side, almost ignoring the other two women in the room.

 

[Camellia Swift]

Camellia nearly jumped when she felt a weight rest on her back and someone's arms wrap around her. However, the voice that followed after the surprise embrace soothed the newly minted Admiral's concerns. Not that she expected trouble on the station at the heart of the group's operations, but the young woman had been highly preoccupied with her stargazing when the other had sneaked up on her. "It is indeed. The green light has fully been given and we now have official backing and resources. Even if support isn't being openly broadcast this is a good start." It made Cam grin as she felt pride in succeeding to give life to the project she had imagined for such a long time. There was only one thing that bothered her. And the evidence for that thing soon arrived in the form of two of the other main officers for the group.

Their arrival removed the smile from the new Admiral's face. For a moment she had planned to playfully flick Leliana to remind the Corellian where they were and what the other woman's duties were under the situation. There was a formality to uphold after all, though Cam wasn't really surprised. The red head had been given the position for those exact reasons. Well, similarly along those lines. Leliana had worked as a smuggler for several years, and was someone Cam knew she could trust to never betray her. As such putting the Corellian in charge of the fleet responsible for the newly formed Raider's supply lines as well as managing salvage and perhaps even some smuggling operations of their seemed like a perfect fit.

Still, back to that formality was also the reason Camellia kept herself from reminding Leliana informally as well, and instead gently broke contact with the other by stepping away so she could turn around to appropriately address the others. This was the part that concerned the Rendili woman as she properly saluted the other officers. Both were older than her by a wide margin, and both had records granting them much more experience than herself. What Camellia knew she had going that had granted her the position she had were familial influence, a bold and convoluted plan, and way with words to have ensured its convincing to the right people. Of course, she could have left command of the Raiders, the project she had strove for, to either of the other more experience women before her. However, a touch of hubris had gnawed at the younger woman that she could not bear allowing someone else to follow through on her vision. Even if her firsthand experience was to a lesser degree.

"Vice-Admiral Seht, Captain Helioz. It's good to see both of you. We're only missing one more individual to account for everyone who will be in attendance actually. In the meantime though, Why don't the rest of us take our seats and begin with minor reports. We'll avoid our major discussion and can fill him in upon his arrival."

 

[Noirceur]

Late, late, late! He was running terribly late. As the YT-2400 freighter docked inside the space station, Lazgraf quickly slapped on his uniform, which was a tad bit small. The cap almost didn't fit with his ears, but he somehow managed. Looking at Keelo, he resisted the urge to kick him.

-"Why is it, that every time I'm late, it is somehow your fault?"- He said, looking down at the small droid.

-"Wheep Boob Beep"

-"Oh, please. It was your duty to wake me up and tell me we had already passed the location 15 minutes ago! And now, I'm running late! Again!"

-"Whoop Boob, Wheeez!"

-"Blargh! It's pointless discussing with you. I'm going to the meeting, and you can do something useful by staying here and not breaking anything!"

He grabbed his suitcase and walked out of his ship. He jogged through the hallways of the enormous station, unsure if they had already or not started. Doing a turn in a corner, he finally saw the entrance to the meeting room. He stopped running and stood there for a while. The leg wasn't doing so good. He softly opened the door and entered, limping. His injured leg was a reminder of his time as a pirate, just like the scar on his shoulder. Approaching the group of council members, his eyes met Admiral Swift's for a second. A small grin overtook his face as he remembered their encounter on Hutt Space, when Swift totally and completely outmaneuvered him. That's why he respected her.

-"Swift."- He said as he continued to eye the woman.

-"Admirals, Captain."- He continued as he looked at each of them.

-"Sorry I'm late. Local officials can be so... Officious"- He said. He didn't want to tell them that he fell asleep.

-"I trust that's all of us? Maybe now the meeting can begin."

 

[Lady Eona]

She continued to hold on to Cams waist and listened to her speak. She was happy things were getting underway and she was here with Cam. She didn't want the meeting to start yet she wanted time alone with Cam. But her hopes of a late start to the meeting alone with Cam were dashed. As Vice-Admiral Seht and Captain Helioz entered the room. This caused Cam to step away, she didn't follow her just straightened up. She was in uniform the first time in her life with everything showing her rank as Vice-Admiral. But unlike the other officers Her jacket was unbuttoned and her undershirt was not tucked in. Formal or not Cam was lucky Leliana showed up in the uniform at all. She thought it looked good on Cam, but she just didn't understand the use of a uniform. At least in her side of their operations it was best not to show connection to much to the group.

" Vice-Admiral Seht, Captain Helioz it is nice to see you again"

She said that even though she had only met them a few times before. She sighed why did they have to be here so close to on time. She listened to Cam speak and was about to report in on some of the minor smuggling they had managed to get through and the gear they managed to obtain. But she was stopped as Captain Triure entered late. She giggled as she saw him and couldn't help but speak.

"Well now that Captain Kitty is here can we get this show on the road I have a shipment of salvage going through a Imp station soon and I would like to be available if something comes up and I need to get my crew out of their."

Captain Triure should be used to her calling him that since she had started calling him that since the first time they met. They all new when ever she said salvage it was anything but just salvage. Most likely weapons or ship parts bound for one of the ship yards are some of their contacts for sell to have another source of income. Being in charge of the Phantom Fleet she was lax when it came to uniforms most of her crew never put them on unless their was an inspection by one of the commanding officers or their was an important reason to.

 

[Insoulent]

Erykah saw at the last member of the group entered, a feline male. A Captain from the looks of it, similar in rank to the other woman. She was glad that there would be a non-female in the discussion, though she was sure he must of felt awkward in a room full of women. From her recent reports though, it seemed this Togorian male was under her own fleet detachment, which pleased her, until the Vice-Admiral threw some jokes directed at him. Still, as the Admiral began the discussion, Erykah easily moved to the seat furthest away from the rest of the group, opting to sit away from most of the group in the long table. She still didn't know them too well, well enough to sit by them at least. Aside from Camillia, who was certain to sit next to the other Vice-Admiral, she simply did find a bit of an annoyance, the other two Captains hadn't done anything to annoy her yet. Still, as the group settled into their seats, Erykah quickly voiced her report.

"I've set out a scouting party from my fleet shortly before departing for this meeting. I've sent one of the freighters out to Rhen Var, and have my squadron on stand by for re-enforcement, but it seems there's talks of a major Pirating group stationed near some ancient Imperial posts or something like that. It's just a scouting mission, but with Pirates, it's safe to assume they'll attack anyone close to their base if they're found. If we do find a trace of pirates, I will sent my fleet to meet them. I also have some leads on possible planets to expand our operations of work, I'd like to send some of my men to meet with some of the smaller mining companies to see if there's anything we can do to help. Miners are frequent to pirate attacks, and if we can help alleviate their troubles, we could get contracts with these companies, and make our production of metals much easier." the woman explained.

She looked at the Togorian, "I also believe we should send one of the Captains to Yag'dhul, it is a major intersection in independent Space of two of the Galaxy's most popular hyperlanes. If he can establish some sort of market placing there, even a small one, it would help boost our sales and appeal to the Galaxy, ma'aam." she said turning back to the Admiral. "It is also a good place to look for talks of other pirating groups that might plague spacers. We'd need someone who's relatively tough and willing to crack some skulls. I'll be on stand by with my fleet of course." the woman said finishing her opening bit, leaving the others to discuss their points of talk.

 

[LadyM]

I listened as the others around the table gave their reports nodding at the swiftness and efficiency of how everything was being done. Organization was the key the both success and victory. At last it was my turn to give my report.

"All the ships in the Guardian Fleet have been inspected thoroughly with only minor infractions issued, the crews trained and assigned to their stations. All fighters have been outfitted with the proper guidance systems, the X-5 proton torpedo and its launcher, and the newly acquired F.09 heavy laser cannon. The fighter pilots, squadron leaders, and their respected squadrons are rotating every 10 hours for training exercises. I observed a couple of exercises and felt they were only going through the motions. So I issued an order for the 10 hour rotation for the next couple of weeks to smooth out the rough edges and turn our pilots into a well oiled machine. It seems the fleet is ready, Admiral Swift."

I sat in silence for a minute then added, "Just one more thing Admiral Swift. Your personal quarters are still being renovated to your specific requirements. I had...I had to fire two contractors for their lack of output. It seems they wanted the creds but not do the work. However, I worked diligently to replace them and as we speak, your quarters will only be a day behind schedule. Sorry for the inconvenience, Admiral."

I turned to look at Admiral Seht and said, "If Admiral Swift will grant permission, I would like to volunteer to go to Yag'dhul. I have experience in dealing with pirates, on both sides of the credit coin. Unless of course Admiral Swift needs my talents elsewhere."

 

[Camellia Swift]

The young Rendili woman moved to sit at the table without a conscience motive to sit next to anyone specific, merely placing herself in the nearest chair where everyone seemed to be gathering. Well almost everyone. One of her Vice-Admirals chose to seat themselves at a distance from everyone else and it didn't surprise the leader of the Raiders which one it was. Erykah Seht seemed like a very serious woman and a bit of the loner type. Part of that concerned Camellia seeing as it might create tension between the Vice-Admiral and lower officers. However, The Raider Admiral had a high amount of faith in her new subordinate. Seht had an impressive record behind her after all. Part of Camellia did wonder though if Seht's participation in the Raiders might have been because of doubt in her own command from the seniors in the shipyard corporations though. Seht had been a top commander in the Defense Fleet after all. Whatever the case was for the acceptance of the invitation to join, Camellia was glad to have the experienced woman working with her. Cam was certain the pirate casualties would mount with Seht in charge of The Raider fleet.

Clearing her throat, Cam was about to ask for the opening reports from everyone when the final missing member of the council did make his appearance. The sight of the Togorian rushing into the conference room and giving a swift greeting made the Admiral grin. His tardiness did not surprise her. In fact if anyone were to have arrived late the Rendili woman would have suspected them to be Triure or Leliana. An ex-pirate and ex-smuggler respectively, they would most likely have the hardest time adjusting to a strict military setting. Although with their backgrounds they would also be the most knowledgeable of the tactics they would run into during their duties. That mental advantage was why Camellia had felt secure giving Triure a position as Captain. The Togorian's skills as a pilot would easily have netted him command of a squadron, but knowing enemy stratagems would make an officer stronger in leading others. So it was easy to trust he could handle a position that would put him in charge of a section of the fleet someday with his handle on space combat and pirate maneuvers. So with a wave the Rendili Admiral dismissed his lateness.

"Officious though they may be we need their support to get anywhere. It's because of them we can use this room for example. Have no fear of anything else though, you were the last we needed to start and you haven't missed a thing."

Nodding to the others, Camellia called for the status of each of the fleets for the time being. They were mostly what the brunette had been expecting, though she was surprised at the progress Seht had already made in narrowing down the margin for searching for major pirate threats already. The location didn't surprise her though. Rhen Var was a snowball. Uninhabited and cold, a perfect place for hiding since no one else really wanted it. The Yag'Dhul suggestion though was what excited Cam more though. It would go a long way to pleasing the Rendili government and Shipyard facility owners if they had a better presence outside Imperial borders, especially in such a frequented intersection of trade routes. Normally it wouldn't be such a problem, but because of all the ridiculous wars forming new borders trade was obviously strained between those inside borders and those on the outside.

Camellia was in the midst of thinking over her Vice-Admiral's request for a Captain to travel there when Captain Helioz began sharing her report as well. The upkeep of Guadrian Fleet pleased Cam. As did the notification on the progress of her quarters. The communication suite package she was installing along with the holo board would go a long way to coordinating the entire force of the Raiders even from the Hammerhead Frigate. Not to mention also being useful for running over strategies before engagements. Making Helioz a Captain as well had been excellent choice, and the Rendili Woman was glad to have selected her personally for her ship for the time being. The older woman intimidated Camellia a little though, through no fault of her own however. It was simply due to Kandice Helioz's record. A flourishing and impressive one that made Cam wonder if maybe the other woman ought to be leading their forces over her. She wondered if the ex-Alliance soldier might wonder about it too?

After the reports were given Camellia sat silently for a moment and closed her eyes thinking over the requests by both Seht and Helioz regarding Yag'Dhul. When she came to a decision and compiled what she needed to share with her subordinate officers as well Camellia opened her eyes again and folded her hands gently on the table. "I'm going to have to refuse your request Captain Helioz. If someone who is able to weed out information from seedy sources is needed I would rather send Captain Triure who was an ex-pirate who knows how they operate to handle the job. And if Vice-Admiral Seht is nearby I can trust if he runs into any issues in negotiations she can support him as well. Regardless of that I would require your assistance myself elsewhere. I assume everyone here knows about the planet Rothana and its background? Since the changes in borders everywhere they have found themselves positioned in Hutt space, which as we know is more often plagued by pirates and slavers than the Imperial Territory we have the luxury to be based within. They themselves are a planet formerly known for their great engineering and shipyards. In fact I have a bit of love for their Acclamator Cruiser design. The fact remains though they have not done well since their major parent corp Kuat Drives was abolished. It is in my opinion that having aiding them would be beneficial to us. Not only is their planet's plight similar to Rendili's, but they also face similar threats at a greater degree. It may not mean much, but receiving their thanks might be a start to bridging connections between them and Rendili. As such I would like to take a force to intercept a pirate threat to a major shipment of theirs we picked up on. Afterwards if any dealins come up I feel you Captain Helioz would be more apt for it than you would at Yag'Dhul. And the opposite true of Triure."

Taking a short pause Cam shifted to look at everyone briefly before moving on to the remainder of her side. "Other than that I feel we need to hold several training simulations together, pitting the fleets against one another. It would be an excellent way to gauge the level of preparedness of our forces and evaluate what needs improvement. I think we should have a series of these and once we're set a final session can be held in front of the Politicians and Shipyard CEOs to give them a show. It might go a way to increasing our funding and support from them. Otherwise I have nothing new to report. Though back to the Rhen Var discovery I would like to request that even if nothing is found we set up our own small post there. It would go a ways to monitoring the space lanes and trade routes which could be of great value to us in preventing pirate attacks. If you need to focus more resources to the Rhen Var situation Vice-Admiral Seht we can always have Sunwell move to handle the Yag'Dhul operation. Salvaging operations could be put on hold for a time if needed. We need to locate more bountiful locations anyway for salvaging or else we're not being as efficient as we should be."

 

[Noirceur]

Lazgraf let out a small laugh when Leliana again mocked his feline likeliness. As soon as they met, the woman had taken it upon herself to make jokes about him. In fact, he seems to be the only member of the group she had the security to mess with. Chuckling, he said:

-Heh, you might as well hang on to that name, Leliana. It suits you better"-

Laughing quietly, he sat down in the last unoccupied chair in the meeting table. He listened to the other members reports, nodding as they did. Mostly, he was curious about Admiral Seht, whose detachment he would be serving in. He appeared to be the ranking member in the Raider Fleet, after the Admiral of course, effectively making him the lieutenant of the admiral. Listening then as his commanding officer described some of the tasks and missions she had so far planned, he was instantly intrigued by the mention of pirates. He listened to Admiral Swift deny captain Helioz' the request to take on the pirates, he was unsurprised when she said he would be better suited to the task. He knew how pirates worked, and that is essential when dealing with them.

-"I agree. I know how this people work and I understand their modus operandi. But I'd think Leliana would crash the frigate at the nearest asteroid before she could even lend me assistance."- He said, following with a loud laughter. He was obviously joking, and he would work fine with either admiral in command of the mission.