[h2][center]~|Interstellar Space, near the Y’Toub System|~[/center][/h2]
[h3][center]~|Day 3, 7[sup]th[/sup] Hour|~
[u]Fa-Val-Kuul[/u][/center][/h3]

Fa’s expression towards Zora turned to a toothy grin. “See, now we have an understanding. Once I have the information I desire, you can go on your way. In short, I agree. You tell me the planet on which you would like to be released, and provided it is not a Sith stronghold, we will take you there. Then, I will release you, you will share your information, and then you can have your belongings and go.”

[hr]

Fa-Val-Kuul was, if nothing else, honest with her word. Though trickery and deceit was nothing new in her line of work, she did at least honor the agreement she had made with the Twi’lek. It was, of course, not particularly comforting to release a potentially dangerous Sith, but Zora was nothing next to the immense threat posed by her target. Darth Nyiss was her assignment, her prey, and if some sacrifices had to be made to reach her, then Fa would do what she must. 

Zora’s information was not as comprehensive as Fa might have hoped, but it was at least everything that she needed to finally begin the operation. Fortunately, Fa had informed the Republic ahead of time that she was pursuing a promising lead, so they were ready to move quickly on the information. At least one of Zora’s warnings had rang true: Nyiss was not stupid. Hesitate for too long to act, and they might just lose their chance altogether. Fa had her Republic support, her supplies and equipment, and even a captured Imperial shuttle to take them into the firmly Sith-controlled space. 

Within a few days, Battlemaster Fa’s strike team had mobilized to their destination: Feena. Initial reconnaissance did confirm a Sith presence in the system, but they did not have too much of an opportunity for scouting before they had to make their approach. Even using their captured shuttle for transport, loitering for too long in one place would certainly arouse suspicion. 

The landing on Feena had been tense, but ultimately successful. Although, it still did not come without its complications. Most immediately obvious upon their approach was that their sensors were surprisingly ineffective, as if they were being scrambled to a degree. It was a development that was both restricting and enabling to them, in different respects. Fa had initially planned to set up their forward base fairly far from the Sith base, for their own safety, but in order to get any use at all out of their own sensor arrays, they would have to be closer. Fortunately, this also gave them more freedom to search the jungle for a suitable landing zone. Once they had reached the surface along their initially planned path, Fa made the call to scan an area closer to the base for a suitable site for their camp. They had kept their shuttle just barely above the trees, and made sure to remain far enough from the enemy base to avoid being spotted by patrols. 

The landing zone had eventually been found in the form of a cavern within a valley that would be both defensible, and hidden. They had spent much of the night setting up their equipment, and masking any sign of their presence. They had their shuttle covered in a camouflaged webbing within an hour, and their generator and sensor array set up within two. The manpower they had available made it a relatively painless process. Although, much to the chagrin of Fa, she received orders to send the shuttle back for some other purpose, so they had to turn around and uncover it immediately. For this mission, they had called in the best they could get their hands on in the time they had. Half of their force was comprised of specialized Sith-hunters, personally trained by Vebra. They were elite troops, well-equipped and trained to deal with force users, and this was the most that Fa had seen deployed in one place, at one time. It spoke to the threat Nyiss posed, and the importance of stopping her. 

[hr]

[h2][center]~|Strike Team Base of Operations, Feena|~[/center][/h2]
[h3][center]~|Day 6, 13[sup]th[/sup] Hour|~
[u]Fa-Val-Kuul[/u][/center][/h3]

Fa looked up at the clear sky above, taking in a deep breath as the sun warmed her scales. She walked along the edge of the river nearest their camp, taking in the sights of the environment around her. It was a sight that she expected to have to get used to, as this mission was not appearing as if it would be a quick one. As much as Fa wanted to make their attack sooner rather than later, they were facing far too much of a deficit in information to take such a risk. The intelligence Zora had on the Sith base itself was woefully imprecise, and there was no guarantee even that much would be accurate. They had to perform their own reconnaissance, and make their own plans based on their own observations. That was something that would take time, especially if they wished to avoid being detected in the process. So, they had to prepare to settle in. Fa knelt down at the riverbank and carefully filled up a small vial with a sample of the water. They would need to test to make sure it would be safe for their use.