Yavin

[darklord]

"The location of the proposed meeting need not be Yavin. We need only locate a place so desolate and wait."

"Wait for what Tionne?" He hadnt meant it to sound so harsh but it was no good worrying about that now. "Your suggesting that we lead them into a trap on some desolate moon but we'll be the ones who will be killed. They wont send a few lowly warriors to hunt us, it'll be an entire army." The jedi needed to understand that, the yuuzhan vong didnt play fair. They were smarter than that, they knew the value of the jedi and they wouldnt underestimate them again.

"If they suspected a ruse, would they not have come for him already?"

"I think your overestimating my importance to them. I was more of an experiment than anything else, if I failed in any way then i become just another combatant to be killed in their conquest of this galaxy."

"As for what you do next, thats up to you. But sooner or later the yuuzhan vong will come here looking for you whether im here or not." Yavin 4 would be a prime target for the invaders and the ancient temples wouldnt stand a chance. True, the jedi had repelled many attacks in the past but they'd had the force as a weapon back then. The only way the vong could be stopped was if the galaxy united against them now and acted quickly. Once the yuuzhan vong had a foothold in the core there would be no stopping them.

[extras]

-Tionne Solusar-

"I think your overestimating my importance to them. I was more of an experiment than anything else, if I failed in any way then i become just another combatant to be killed in their conquest of this galaxy."

She felt the rebuke from his earlier comment and it hit home effectively enough. Not enough to allow her to show the sting it had dealt her way though. He had a point, that was the main thing in all of this.

"Perhaps, we can't be certain the knowledge they had you believe was correct either...but it would be safer to assume that it was." She conceded, clasping her hands together in her lap.

Then that eliminated the plan almost entirely, and brought them back to their original suggestion. Kam was most certainly against this, as were a few of the others she sensed making their decisions. Tionne herself however was faced with the reality of it all, an enemy far greater a threat than they had perhaps ever faced in their lifetime...one that had no connection to the force, one that could not even be effected by the force.

"Then I agree with our prior plans." She stated, waiting to hear verbally, or in the force, where the other masters would cast their votes - possibly their fates too.

Tionne's gaze met Drevin's once more, she felt a great deal of uncertainty on her part, sadness even. How had it come to this?
There just seemed no peaceful solution, it wasn't in the Yuuzhan Vong vocab. She had sensed the dark Jedi's thoughts - when he had conjured up the images of the Yuuzhan Vong eventually finding Yavin...it was only a matter of time, he was right.

"They wont send a few lowly warriors to hunt us, it'll be an entire army." - He had said, and she believed him.

If the Yuuzhan Vong could cross the void between galaxies, could pull a moon out of orbit and have it destroy an entire world, not to mention enslave entire populations, what could they not do?
Some would have argued that the same could be said of the Empire in it's day, this was true, but at least with the empire they had known what they were facing in terms of attitudes and technology. The Imperial army was not devoid of the force, nor immune to it's effects.
As much as she had tried to quell it, Tionne felt fear - one that was almost definitely born of uncertainty. This war had caused many to feel things that would have been emotionally unnatural to them, a Jedi did not fear the unknown...did they?

"We need to glean as much information as possible, we still know too little about these Yuuzhan Vong to be able to react sufficiently in defense."

Drevin had already said he was willing to make contact with the Yuuzhan Vong agent again, for her -at least- there was no other logical way to deal with this. Least they remain in the dark for longer.

[darklord]

*** Drevin ***

"Then I agree with our prior plans.We need to glean as much information as possible, we still know too little about these Yuuzhan Vong to be able to react sufficiently in defense."

"Then lets waste no more time." Drevin pulled out the villip from beneath his robe, not bothering to wait for the other masters to argue the point. Tionne had suggested it and that was enough for him. If he didnt contact the intendant soon it would be too late to salvage anything from the situation and all of his injuries would have been for nothing.

He held the fleshy ball in the palm of his hand and stroked the small node that would activate it.

Kirana Ti made a move to stand but a gentle hand on her shoulder from Kyle Katarn stopped her and she remained seated as the villip began to pulse in the Dark Jedi's hand.

[extras]

Drevin took this as a que, and began coaxing the seemingly inert biot to life. It only took a matter of seconds before the creature began to respond, pulsing slightly, contacting it's twin from afar.

The room fell into an eerie silence, several Jedi taking silent steps backward in fear of there being a range to such a creature. Others reached out with the force, attempting to sense danger - old habits died hard.

---

The fighting outside had continued, but as yet had not reached the sporadic rows of grashals that littered the grounds of the ruined university. Garqi it seemed, was alive with the sounds of abomination, and the intendant was dismayed at the fact that Shedao Shai's warriors had failed to notice this. If they had but listened to the reports...

Across from him, resting on a coral plinth, a villip trembled slightly - indicating an incoming signal. This was the psychic pair to the villip he had supplied Drevin with, and this was most unexpected. So now it seemed the Brenzlit wished to speak with the hunter, this would no doubt be interesting if nothing else.

He rose from his seated position, his thorny resting place audibly tearing from the flesh on which it had feasted seconds earlier.
Taking up the villip, he motioned it to evert.

"Jeedai, " Tln'aa Shoolb began, his tone full of malice, "Pray that you bring me useful news, or expect a pitiful end." It was nothing short of miraculous he had managed to get a response, Hopefully something could be salvaged from this situation.

"Or perhaps you wish to explain why you did not respond sooner? Idleness is an unworthy trait, rewarded with an ignoble fate."

[darklord]

The villip inverted into the gruesome features of Tin'aa Shoolb, the intendant looking as charming as ever clearly appeared frustrated. Good, that'll teach you for putting things in my head. Some of the masters wore expressions of disgust as the villip took its masters form, Drevin remembered feeling that way himself the first time he'd encountered one of these.

"Jeedai, Pray that you bring me useful news, or expect a pitiful end."

Drevin grinned widely. "Oh how ive missed that sense of humor." He knew that the jedi would probably disapprove of his mocking the intendant but it was an opportunity that he couldnt pass up. Although he did sense a brief flicker of amusement from one of them before they clamped down on the emotion. That in itself pleased Drevin, maybe they werent so detached from him after all.

"Or perhaps you wish to explain why you did not respond sooner? Idleness is an unworthy trait, rewarded with an ignoble fate."

Drevins face contorted slightly in frustration. "If your trigger happy warriors hadnt shot my ship up so badly I would've been able to report to you sooner." The Kath Hound had nearly been destroyed during his planned escape, he'd barely made it to Yavin 4.

"Never the less, I bring good news. I have infiltrated the jedi."

[extras]

Tln'aa Shoolb's expression soured for barely a moment, before he had picked up on Drevin's later words.

"Never the less, I bring good news. I have infiltrated the jedi."

"Oh? You are confident they suspect nothing?" He was not so confident of that fact, if they had not...how was it that the slave seed he had had the Jeedai implanted with, was not responding? He should have been in agony! There was always the Jeedai sorcery...but he had ruled that out with his little test before Drevin had departed for Yavin.

"The commander grows impatient, he believes that this plan is flawed, better for you that it is not. To us a Jeedai is a Jeedai and I would make sure that the honour of dragging you to the sacrificial alter would be all mine." Pitiful, how these infidels valued life so preciously.

"If you have information, I would have you speak it now." He said tersely, drumming his fingertips on the coral plinth that the villip sat upon, eyes narrow and scrutinizing.

[darklord]

"Oh? You are confident they suspect nothing?"

"Oh they suspected plenty at first, theyre not fools." Well, most of them he thought. He was all too aware that he was being closely watched by the masters.

"My story was quite convincing, enough to quell most of their suspicions anyway. But ill be under close watch, it could be some time before I can learn anything of interest to you."

That was the only truthful part to what he'd told the intendant. They really hadnt thought the next part through yet, Drevin had merely wanted to make sure that the intendant didnt severe all communication.

Sit tight scarhead, you'll get whats coming to you.

He had no idea how the jedi wanted to play this, and frankly he didnt care. All he wanted was to repair his ship and get off yavin. He couldnt bear being so close to them. No, not 'them' her. Drevin shook the thought away quickly, worried that it might have been picked up by the others.

[extras]

"My story was quite convincing, enough to quell most of their suspicions anyway. But ill be under close watch, it could be some time before I can learn anything of interest to you."

"Truly?" His tone was condescending as always, "Perhaps I should be the judge of that, Infidel."

Tln'aa Shoolb's eyes narrowed barely perceptively, and inwardly he did more than analyze what the dark Jeedai was saying.
'It is what that has been happening in the 'some' time that you were uncontactable that concerns me.' He thought to himself.

Outwardly, he did little to diminish the expression of irritation and suspicion he still wore upon his scarred facial features.
Unseen to Drevin, the intendant reached for the key-villip that would have effected the slave seed implant the Jedi was supposed to still be carrying. Stroking a taloned finger over the bony ridge of the creature, it stirred, but the communications villip showed no change - not even slight - in the manner in which the Jedi acted.
'Not so much as a flinch.'

He had to fight exuberantly to keep the deep rage from erupting into speech, or indeed creeping into his expression. Yuuzhan Vong were never ones to scrimp on the anger and deal out the punishment when it came to their subordinates scheming or betrayal. Even less tolerant when it came to Infidels.

There was still something to be salvaged from this...and the fact that the seed did not work was not necessarily an indication that the Jedi had gone back on his word. The possibility was, that the Jedi with whom he had sought false refuge, had somehow detected the seed and bid him remove it by means of their own.

It would not hurt to tread carefully, their agreement had been a hasty one, and not exactly being a man of his word either, he had come to expect such similar actions from those he associated with.

He needed to test the ties somehow.
It was not long before an answer came to him, he had been present when Commander Shedao Shai had received word from a lesser known - and distant - world of Endor. The small moon was the current posting place of a commander named Voh'nn Seinheild, it had been one of his subalterns that had recently passed word to Shai of capturing Jeedai. This however had been foiled when they had failed to capture the last remaining one they knew of on Endor...thus chaos had erupted, leaving Shedao Shai considerably angered and would no doubt call for Seinheild's sacrifice should he fail again.
He, however, had his own problems to deal with at the moment - as the rumble of explosions and battle cries well told- This would be a perfect way to put the Vua'sa among the nehii.

"On the infidel moon you call Endor, there is a situation that needs attending to." He furnished, "Three Jeedai have evaded capture and continue to do so while our warriors hunt them...this information would be of interest to the Jeedai you are with?"

He quirked a brow, a plan had of course already formulated it's self within his mind, but weather Drevin would assume what he was thinking remained to be seen. He waited for a response before continuing further, explaining in a little more detail.

"These Jeedai cannot hope to escape alive, this will also - no doubt - interest your counterparts. You tell of their unwillingness to trust you? If you were to somehow acquire this information and suggest some way of reacquiring your missing Jeedai, it could perhaps sway some into believing your sincerity."

There was always the chance that the Jedi would succeed at their task, but he had not let that thought go astray either. As long as this one took the bait, he had a contingency plan - albeit a stretched one - incase of this turning out to be what he suspected. It mattered not who the Jeedai sent...just as long as they were Jeedai.
Drevin would keep.

---

Across the way, still seated next to Kyle and Kam, Tionne Solusar looked on with a mixture of curiosity and dread. Things were becoming incredibly tangled in a web of immense proportions. She could feel the masters thoughts surging in the force, each with their own mixture of trepidation and shielded reaction.
This had the potential to go horribly wrong...and she hoped the the force she had not been wrong about Drevin's allegiance.

[darklord]

*** Posting as Drevin ***

Tin'aa Shoolb seemed to stir uncomfortably as he spoke and Drevin wondered how long it would take for him to realise that his slave seed had failed. Maybe ill tell him myself he thought, but the intendants next words stopped him in his tracks.

"On the infidel moon you call Endor, there is a situation that needs attending to. Three Jeedai have evaded capture and continue to do so while our warriors hunt them...this information would be of interest to the Jeedai you are with?"

Drevins expression remained guarded even as he felt the masters shock through the force. He listened as the intendant spoke of his plan, all the time picking up on the strong emotions emanating from the masters. Tin'aa Shoolb was testing him.

"It will be of great interest to them." Drevin feigned a smile for the intendant to see, keeping up the pretense that this satisfied him even though it made his stomach turn. The jedi would undoubtedly wish to send a rescue team to retrieve the missing jedi even though they knew they'd be walking into a trap. "I will contact you once I have informed them"

[extras]

"I will contact you once I have informed them"

Tln'aa Shoolb took a moment to examine the response in his mind, each way he looked at it, he found minute flaws...but weren't there always? He nodded once, following that up with a tense hiss of,
"See to it that you do."

And with that, he allowed the villip to invert.

Once alone, he pondered the variables of what he had just gifted the Jeedai in way of information. This could not fail to go wrong, either way they would be forced to send some kind of aid to Endor. And either way the Yuuzhan Vong forces there would be expecting them. He smiled a needle-toothed smile, content that this would put him back in good stead with his superiors.
Now all he need do was wait and see.

---

- Tionne Solusar -


Sitting meters away, she regarded the abrupt end to the conversation perplexing. Never one for conversation these invaders then?

The suggestion of a plan they had just listened to was indeed as the Yuuzhan Vong had said it was - of great interest.
Now all she could feel was the joint concern for these Jedi in the force. It's sensation was palpable...constant, and somewhere far away, they could sense them. Sense the danger.

"He is asking you to send us into a trap." She spoke the cumulative thoughts from those in the room, sadness tinged her voice at the hopelessness of the situation.

"Yet we cannot sit by and allow those stuck on Endor to endure this in the vain hope they can survive." At least she could not. The attitudes of the Jedi had changed much over the past months, in particular the younger members of the order...such as Kyp Durron and his followers.

All eyes were now fixed back on the dark Jedi still holding the inert brown ball of tissue. Could they learn to trust him, knowing what he had been asked to come here and do? This could all be an elaborate plan to make the believe they knew what was going on...a double cross of immense proportions.

"Under no circumstances should another Jedi set foot on that moon!" someone cried from the back of the hall....his sentiment echoed by a few 'hear hear's' off approval.
Others scowled at their fellow Jedi, disgusted that some would just seemingly abandon the few to save the majority.

"Whoever is sent will be in danger, this Yuuzhan Vong agent will no doubt send word ahead of us...we would be sending people to their deaths." Tionne voiced, "But I can't accept that this is impossible...there is always a way."

[darklord]

*** Posting as Drevin ***

"He is asking you to send us into a trap. Yet we cannot sit by and allow those stuck on Endor to endure this in the vain hope they can survive."

Again Tionne was the first to speak. Drevin began to reply but his response was drowned out by the squabbling Jedi. Drevin tucked the villip into his robe and bowed his head in resignation as he listened to statements like "Under no circumstances should another Jedi set foot on that moon!". This was why they would fail. They had no unity, no strength, no passion. They preached peace and understanding, ideals that would hold no place in the coming war.

There was a lot to be said about the dark side but when it came to matters such as this, dark jedi didnt debate, they acted. He could never be one of the jedi again, their ways seemed as alien to him now as the yuuzhan vong. Alone he could make his own decisions, his own path. If that meant carving his way through hordes of yuuzhan vong then that was his choice.

[extras]

-posting as Tionne Solusar-

She could sense that Drevin's roiling emotions were being kept behind some form of mental shroud, as would anyone who cared to look. There would have been no ill intent toward them, only irritation perhaps, at the way they had been speaking about the situation.

The crowd would be split down the middle, but forced to support whatever cause won out. This could cause further resent among the younger people in the crowd. It was they who had had to watch while their friends and masters had been effected or murdered by the Yuuzhan Vong and their invasion.

When it came down to it, she could only think of one question to ask. And she asked it of the only person who appeared to have made up their mind.
"What say you?" Her sadness tinged gaze fixed on Drevin, "You have a suggestion?"

[darklord]

*** Posting as Drevin ***

"What say you? You have a suggestion?"

Drevin looked up and met Tionnes sad gaze briefly, not daring to look any longer for fear of the others noticing. Again he found himself desperately trying to bury his feelings. The crowd grew silent as they waited to hear what he had to say.

"I do not think that the jedi have changed so much in a few years as to abandon their comrades to torment and death." He looked around at each of the jedi, some looked sure of their decisions, others looked ashamed or even afraid. "For thats what will become of your friends if you leave them. The Yuuzhan Vong have no understanding of peace, or mercy."

It was a harsh truth but it was one that they would have to accept, it was no use in trying to shield their young from such a truth either. They would all have to deal with death and loss sooner or later. The Yuuzhan vong were coming and if nobody stood in their way then the galaxy was already theirs.

"So will you stand by and do nothing in this ruin while they take your loved ones from you?"

[extras]

-Posting as Tionne Solusar-


"So will you stand by and do nothing in this ruin while they take your loved ones from you?"

Tionne could understand perfectly what he was saying, it was perhaps what he meant by it that caused concern to ripple through some of the crowd. Others, their renewed frustration at situations such as this, attempted little to hide their anger initially. They dampened it down soon thereafter.
A dark Jedi's passion lay within their uncanny ability to be lead by their emotions. This too could lead them to ruin...but what choice did they have?

"No one is saying we should leave them to die," Ikrit responded after several moments, "But nor can we fail to see the peril with this plan"

Tionne nodded in agreement. The diminutive Jedi was of few words, but when he did speak, sageness was his forte.
"The Yuuzhan Vong will be expecting us, we just need to figure out a way to give them quite the opposite of what they expect." She pondered aloud. Though what that would be she was as yet unsure.

They needed a decoy, a distraction, something to draw attention away from what they needed to get done, and for long enough to recover the stranded Jedi.

[darklord]

*** Posting as Kyle Katarn ***

"No one is saying we should leave them to die, but nor can we fail to see the peril with this plan"

The dark jedi wore a resigned expression, as if he was fighting a losing battle. Kyle had never been one for patience when it came to decision making either but he urged Drevin silently through the force not to give in.

"We're all aware that this is a trap, but this gives us an advantage over them. The yuuzhan vong have no idea of who or how many of us to expect." Their was no debating that there would be a rescue mission any longer, just on how they would proceed. He turned to face the Dark Jedi.

"Thats where Drevin could be very valuable. He could feed them false information regarding our strength and numbers."