Ask Who Let the Dogs Out

[Vander]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled​

Zolan was actually a pretty nice planet. He had never been here before, and it had managed to stay mostly out of the sights of the major galactic powers. ISC had never moved there, Empire never noticed it, and until now, the Sith had never cared about it.

As it turned out, Vossari had gotten an idea to put his sights on it, and Vander was just the ideal person to render assistance. After all, what better person to bring in a group of assassins than an assassin.

Fine, so technically the Mabari weren't assassins they were warrior-knights, but he had an inkling of a feeling that there were more than a few of them who were willing to put their skills to more nefarious means.

Perhaps it had come to Vossari in a dream or vision but the information he had given to Vander had been corroborated by the Sith assassin: the Mabari were in a bit of... upheaval. Some wanted to take a more mercenary route while others wanted a more noble goal. If V and V could capitalize on this growing schism, there was nothing but gain.

Vander had arrived at the agreed upon RV site early as he often did in order to scope the place out. Rumor had it that these Mabari had legendary, hyper-intelligent (for dogs) hounds that worked with them often, and Vander found his mind wandering to whether or not this was overblown. He supposed they'd soon find out.

As interesting as the mission, of course, was the person he would be working with. It was absolutely no secret how close Vossari was to Arcanos, and that put him as both a target of attack and a target of envy to so. many. people. He wondered what that was like... no doubt it had to make things more difficult for the Wrean. Or... maybe he loved it. Who knew?

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Voss loved a good scheme. They usually never amounted to much, but hey? What's the point of being a Sith if you don't scheme a little. Today was one of those days - a little scheme to fill a much-needed gap in his retinue. For all the years he had been a Sith, he never had his own troops. He had made alliances with sorcerers and cultists, but these people were also fickle schemers rather than loyal troops. He needed some kind of loyal army, even if he had to buy that loyalty.

Such needs brought him to the home of the Clawdites. Their abilities in shapeshifting were highly regarded and well known across the galaxy. The existence of an order of warriors on their planet meant that some of them were willing to kill. Maybe, they would kill for honor. Maybe they would kill for money. Either way, whatever their needs were, it could be leveraged towards the interests of Vossari - and maybe the Sith in general.

Voss appeared, in his trademark Suit of Sorcery, with Acridia on his ear beneath his helm and lightsaber on hip. Vander was new enough to the Sith that Vossari hadn't burnt any bridges with him - yet. Maybe this would be one of the rare missions where he made an ally?

Vander had agreed to scout the site in advance, so Vossari took his time approaching their rendezvous site. As he did, though, he didn't leave a lot of time for pleasantries. "Surprised this planet has made it under the radar so far." He said, matter-of-factly. "An order of shapeshifting warrior-assassins sounds too good to be true."

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Vander spun the lightsaber hilt in his hand as he waited for the other Champion to arrive, and when he did he was fully kitted out for a fight. Armored up, weapons out, and the whole nine yards. Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.

He pointed out that the planet had never been invaded or even parleyed with and Vander just nodded.

Something, something the will of the Force, he said. It was... a vague enough statement that no matter what Vossari believed about the will of the Force it could be taken that way. Either as a dismissive comment mimicking those who believed strongly in it or an endorsement that it was, in fact, the Force that had brought them here at the proper place and time.

For Vander's part... he was somewhere in the middle. He saw the Force as a tool to be used, but he wasn't so foolish as to assume that he was the ultimate authority. Perhaps the great Dark Lords could truly master the Force, but even that was up for debate. No, he had a feeling that they were all just pawns: an uncomfortable truth that most Sith didn't have the stones to face directly.

Suppose we'll find out soon enough whether the rumors about schism are true, he said, starting to move forward toward the objective point. The fortress that the Warrior-Monks lived out of was daunting to say the least, and the pair of Sith were going to have their work cut out for them and more.

If they wanted to pull this off it would require cunning, likely some manipulation and diplomacy, coupled with violence. A true Sith mission.

If we can capitalize on the schism, maybe we can turn the radicals to our side, he said.

Before we go any further, though, we should make a challenge phrase. I don't know what the extent of their shapeshifting abilities are, but something so that if we get split up we know the other person isn't an imposter, he said. It was a logical suggestion.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vander was totally right - that was a great idea. One Voss wouldn't have thought on on his own. This why the Sith had an Order - teamwork makes the dream work! Of course, the dream was to scheme, backstab, and claw one's way to the top. But the point remained - Vander might be a little smarty pants if he keeps up with these good ideas.

"The Dark Side always provides." The omnipresent nature of the Force meant that everything happened by its will, right? Voss guessed there were still philospophical debates about the nature of the Force itself. "I suppose, today, it has provided for us." It would indeed be a classic Sith mission. The fact that they were attempting to infiltrate a coven of literal shapeshifters complicated things, though.

"Yeah. Catch phrase. Mine is 'Banana Fart.' Sound good?" A sect of radicals always made for a good start. Voss hadn't had much of a chance for warm contact on this planet, though. They needed a way to suss out who was who. And a legitimate reason to visit the Mabari order. "They're warriors, yeah? How's your lightsaber skills?" Voss needled in on an idea. "Maybe...we're fencing instructors? I'd need a sword..." He really didn't bring those things around, but if it would give them an in, he was in.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

They were in agreement about code phrases, but oh boy, nothing in the galaxy was going to prepare Vander for Vossari's code phrase.

Wait, are you serious? he asked, deadpan for a moment before shrugging.

Well, no one's going to guess it, he had to concede a moment later. Of course, Vander's creativity when it came to things off the cuff like this would end up with him titling a book something like "Catching the Uncatchable" so rather than come up with something completely original all his own, he opted for... the next best thing.

Alright, I'll be apple gas, then, he said. What Vossari didn't realize was that there was a distinct possibility he would now by banana fart in Vander's mind for the rest of his natural born life.

Quite the dynamic duo we are, he said, shaking his head slightly.

Quite adequate, he said in response to the inquiry about his lightsaber skills. The truth was he was quite a bit better than that, but there was no point in oversharing his hand if he didn't need to.

Are you thinking we go in as sword-wielding fencers or lightsaber ones? he asked, stopping short as they were walking.

I have a couple of swords back on my ship if we need them, he said, jutting a thumb back in that direction. Because of course he had a couple of swords. What self-respecting assassin wouldn't? They would, however, need to retrieve them sooner rather than later if they were going with that plan.

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

"Sounds good, Apple Ass." Vossari snickered as they walked back towards the ship. "Swords are perfect for fencing instructors. Red lightsabers might be a little bit on the nose, right?" Voss shrugged. It could work as a display of power, of course, but it would likely be better to approach this with a little bit of subtlety. From Vander's collection, Vossari grabbed a keen, single-edged blade. Its make reminded him of the blades in Korriban, that he had seen on the city guards of Murzana. The beautiful, bronzed craftsmanship reminded him of Korriban's beautiful, bronzed king.

Blades in tow, Voss and Vander (V2?) made their way towards the mountains, where the monastery of the Mabari warrior-knights was meant to be. Snowcapped peaks of massive cliffs waited ahead of them. Vossari rolled his eyes as he imagined the physical toll of hiking in high altitudes. "You think we can stop in the village and catch a ride up?" He gestured at glowing lights nestled in the hills, indicating life. Maybe it would be good to scope out some information, too.

"I have...no idea what Clawdites are actually like." Being a part of a species of shapeshifters seemed almost too strange - how could they define one identity, when each Clawdite could literally control their entire appearance, expression, and biology? "I hope you're good at making small talk." Voss's small talk usually got him in trouble. He'd love to leave the talking to someone else.

As the trudged together, the lights beneath the mountaintop came closer and closer, until they were at the muddy path of a small village. The dusk had settled, now, and an inn lay in front of them.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Vander looked thoroughly unamused as Vossari made his own challenge phrase for Vander. His lips smacked together in a lack of amusement as they gathered up their weapons and headed up the path. Vander was no stranger to physical exertion, but climbing a mountain was... not idea.

Too bad there's not a landing platform higher up there, he muttered as they climbed. It seemed in short order that Vossari had a similar thought, trying to find a way that they didn't have to hoof it all the way up to the top.

Somehow they don't strike me as the "tram" type, he said. But that makes two of us, he said. He hadn't ever... actually met a Clawdite to his knowledge.

Small talk is not my specialty, he said, shooting a sideways glance at the other Sith.

I thought you were going to be the small talker, he said. It probably could have been a moment out of a comedy in other settings.

Well, this'll be fun. What could go wrong, he said as they wandered into the village. Green skinned alien beings wandered around the village, and Vander had to guess that this was what Clawdites looked like normally.

They earned a few side glances but no actually direct conversation or engagement. At least not for several moments. As they made their way through the town, one of them - a woman by the look of her - in much fine clothes than the rest approached. In fact, the closer she drew, Vander realized it was armor she wore. Or at least several armor pieces with a sword at her own side and a blaster at the other. In tow was a broad chest hound that looked like it was far war or hunting to be sure.

Looks like we've got company, he said as she drew closer.

Hark travelers. What brings you to our village and fortress? she asked, looking them both over, hand resting lazily on the hilt of her sword as people often did, a mimic of Vander's own pose. Not confrontational, just... passive. After all, it was a ready made hand rest for all intents and purposes.

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari smiled and waved at the tiny Clawdite woman. Her blade was ready, Vossari noted, but as long as these two kept their force powers under wraps, they had a permanent edge and advantage for any confrontation. Vossari smiled easily at the Clawdite woman, as she, in turn, regarded them with a cautious look of suspicion.

"Traveling swordsmen..." He gestured to the blades at his and Vander's waists. "Here to dazzle your knights and entertain your village. Want to see?" There was a challenge underneath that grin, somewhere. The Clawdite could see it. And she returned one, back to the pair of them.

"I know not who you are, stranger. But..." With a move of her thumb, the sharp edge of her sword rolled out, catching the last embers of twilight in its steely glare. Meanwhile, her form changed as her smile did, until she reflected an oddly similar appearance. "It's not very often we get off-worlders here. Come on, pretty boy, let's see you dazzle." Clawdite-Vander drew her sword, and gestured for him to do the same. "To first cut or surrender." A cheeky little duel. She let him move first, cautiously studying his stance.

Voss scoffed. "Why does he get to be pretty boy?"

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Oh excellent, Vossari was doing the talking. Vander loved that for himself.

As it turned out, the Clawdite for some reason chose him as her victim - or rather chose to be his victim - and he was a little bit caught off guard by her sudden transformation.

Alright, he said, slipping the sword from his sheathe, raising his blade up to ready himself.

The duel that proceeded was quick and decisive. Blows were exchanged, and Vander could see it all before it happened. The Force was his ally, and a powerful ally it was. He let the fight play out a few moments, lazily parrying and batting aside blows before seizing on his opportunity.

With a flick and a fast slash, he brought his blade down and sliced into Vander-clawdite's arm, spilling blood onto the ground from a deep, clean laceration before leaping back.

Done! he shouted to applause from several of the gathered villagers.

You fight well, she said. Come up to our fortress for the Feast of Harrowings. I think you may find it interesting, she said as she transformed back to her regular self and began leading them up the mountain even as she wrapped her bleeding arm.

Feast of Harrowings. Sounds harrowing, he muttered to Vossari.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

A feast of harrowing? It did indeed sound harrowing. "I like the sound of the word...'feast.'" Vossari mused, reflecting on the positive of the situation they're in. They were in! Infiltration success. Vander's quickness with a sword was duly noted, as well.

As they wandered their way up the mountain, Vossari's suit of armor started to feel...heavy. He was hoping to avoid walking this long. His stomach grumbled. "So, uh, what kind of food do you have on this Feast of Harrowing?" Vossari inquired, politely. The Clawdite looked back at the pair of them.

"You're both skinny types. This will put some meat on your bones, for sure." The mountain path became higher as they, guided on by torchlight, approached a large building nestled in the castle. Already from the outside, Vossari could hear the clanging of blades and triumphant shouting as the Mabari trained their knights in righteous combat. Voss looked at Vander with a 'thumbs up.'

"You know, I don't know a ton about this order, outside of your renowned ferocity with a blade. Do you have any...tenets? Principles? Guiding Oaths or Vows?" The Clawdite woman raised a scaly finger to scratch her chin as she thought through the question.

"We're a tad unconventional." Voss could relate. "No, no binding oaths or sacred laws. We train to be peerless. The strongest, fastest, smartest warriors we can be." Her form changed again, to a tall, broad human. "The Clawdites are unique. We can change our form at will - which means, we have unique control over our reach, footwork, dexterity, strength." She shapeshifter back to lizard form. "So, to be a strong warrior, you have to be competent at any size or shape. That requires a lot of training, as I'm sure you can imagine."

They approached heavy, metal gates that slowly lurched open. As they opened, Voss could see spears and swords clanging off each other, as Mabari trained in a variety of humanoid forms with a combination of weapons.

@Phoenix