EliteCommander

Star Wars - Scum and Villainy

So is Belona an Imperial Remnant prison colony, or is it used by some other group? Would the projection be showing our characters who operates it?

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek still found it strange that Elissics could have different attributes just based on their gender, but as he thought about it, he started to make some sense of it. Male and Female Karisskan had the same average height, weight, strength, coloration, and most other physical characteristics, but that did not seem to be true of the Elissics. It was quite visibly obvious which ones were male and female, even tot he untrained eyes of other races. It was possible they had different attributes, which created differences between them in their culture. It was something he could ask about later; for the moment, he focused on watching the game.

As the group was making their plans, Tarentek was a bit surprised to hear his name mentioned. For whatever reason, Daimos said he wanted Tarentek to start the game, though he was not really sure when that would be appropriate. He would have asked, but the two groups quickly huddled together, presumably to make plans for the game. Tarentek was silent and confused when Onyx finally walked over, and he remained confused as she returned to her group.

"Felldan? Wait, what does 'felldan' mean?" Tarentek asked as Onyx was walking away, but he received no answer. With the two groups waiting for his signal, however, he had to say something. "Uhh...Felldan?" Tarentek shouted with noticeable uncertainty in his voice.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I know you are likely nervous, but I promise that my accusation will only be given based on strong evidence. The traitor was likely not expecting me to suddenly arrive here, so it is unlikely that he or she had the time to set up a convincing way of framing any of you. The evidence should point to our killer. Even if I cannot identify the traitor tonight, I may be able to exonerate one or more of you from suspicion." Meesei said reassuringly as she marked off another section in her notes.

"Now, to begin, I would like to focus on Jerrick's waterskin. Specifically, how many times, and exactly when did you see him drinking from it? From what you told me last time, you saw him fill it at breakfast. Since he did not separate from it at breakfast, it is incredibly unlikely that it was poisoned at that point, so I am not as concerned about then. At any point after that, though, can you recall actually seeing him drink from the waterskin? I understand this is a very specific thing to remember, so I will give you a moment to think." Meesei asked. She suspected that the information Sabine's test had given her would narrow down the point at which Jerrick could have been poisoned, but to know for sure, she needed this one last piece of information.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

"Certainly, I would not mind watching a game." Tarentek said to Daimos, then looked around briefly for a place nearby to take a seat. There were no convenient rocks like last time, but there was an area of the ground that looked to be out of the way.

"My people do not have a game like this one, but we had other sports with similar concepts. I was quite fond of playing them myself, especially with my fellow warriors. Sports can serve as great exercise, as well as great team-building and morale-building events. In Amman, they were not something one ever quite grew out of. I think every settlement has at least one game they like to play, though I tend to prefer the ones that allow for a wide variety of tactics and strategies. This one seems to fit that description; although, I do not know exactly how it is played yet. I suppose I will see for myself once you begin, but I am curious, why is it that the two teams must be of opposite genders?" Tarentek questioned. Among the Karisskan, males and females were nearly identical apart from their roles in reproduction, so any sort of gender separation was entirely foreign to them.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

After everyone had finished their meal, Meesei was ready to begin her questioning, but since the other lieutenants would be coming and going between their room, she decided it would be best to move elsewhere. She stood up and looked to both Vera and Sabine. "Now that we have all had a chance to eat, I believe I am ready to ask a few questions. If I remember correctly, there are some storage rooms nearby we might use. I would rather not be disturbed by the other lieutenants coming for their food."

Once Sabine was on her feet, Meesei approached her. "I will need you to watch after Rhazii while we are talking. Also, I would appreciate it if you could stand outside the room and keep watch. Let me know if anyone gets close enough that they might hear us. We should still be at least within sight of our room's gate, so you should be able to give Rhazii to Ahnasha once she returns." Meesei explained before handing off Rhazii to Sabine.

Meesei pulled her notes out of the satchel she kept on her person, then retrieved some writing implements from her bag before leading Sabine and Vera out of the room. The room which the lieutenants had given to Meesei's pack was the only one on the hall that was entirely unused, but there were others that were used simply for storage. After looking through a few of the rooms, Meesei decided on one at the end of the hall which was within sight of their room, but out of the path the lieutenants would need to take to retrieve their meals. Inside, there were boxes, barrels, and loose junk items scattered around. While it would have been crowded to sleep in, the room was perfectly fine for a simple two-person conversation. Just like the first interview, Meesei readied her notes, then opened with the first question.

"Alright, before I get to my main questions, is there anything you would like to tell me? Anything you might have remembered or figured out since yesterday that could be helpful? If not, that is perfectly fine, I just thought I would ask." Meesei questioned, her tone light and non-aggressive.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek stood stoic through the introductions, trying to make sure he remembered each name and what they said about themselves. He had started to gather that the meanings of their names were important to them, moreso than with his own people. In Amman, names almost always had meaning, but since those names were given shortly after hatching, their actual meanings were not strictly assumed to apply to the individual. He supposed that might also be the case with the Elissics, but they at least seemed to speak of their names more frequently in introductions.

"She is certainly not wrong. My wounds were severe, and it will likely be another week before I am fully recovered." Tarentek explained, though with his robe covering all except his head, and the very end of his tail that poked out from under his robe near his feet, the evidence of his injuries were not visible. "Fortunately, starvation and thirst were a greater threat to me than anything else, so I believe I will be fine. At any rate, as Onyx said, my name is Tarentek. Its meaning is 'Favored-of-the-Gods.' I do not know a great deal about your people, but I find I am learning much today."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Onyx was not away for too long, but it was enough to at least allow Tarentek to catch his breath. As usual, he caught the eye of pretty much every sentry that flew past, but even without Onyx nearby, they did not approach him. He assumed that, as long as he kept to himself, he would be left alone no matter where he was.

Once Onyx landed nearby, Tarentek stood up from his rock, letting out a slight groan as his joints popped. Fortunately, they were now at one of the higher spots in the nest, so no matter where they went after cresting the hill, it was probably going to be downhill. "Yes, I'm rested enough." He answered, walking with her a short distance to see the area at the center of the nest. From their current location, he could see many groups of different sizes, but mostly of the same ages. Just by looking, he could not tell what any of them were doing, nor who specifically they were meeting, so he waited for Onyx to lead the way.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek gave a chuckle as he sat down on a large rock along the path. So it was fear that was keeping some of the others from attempting to harm him? It was not his preferred method of staying safe, but at the very least, it was preventing anyone from getting hurt. Tarentek had no intention of picking a fight with anyone, and he would try to run if he could, but if pressed, he would have no choice but to defend himself.

"Perhaps it would be best if you told them I was coming, instead of suddenly surprising them with me." Tarentek answered. "I should be fine in a few minutes. How about you go ahead and tell them what you need to tell them, then come and collect me. That should give me more than enough time to rest." He suggested.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek did not quite know what to think about the group that Onyx belonged to: those who were not children, but not yet adults. His people did not have an analogous group, as children in Amman often knew from a young age what role they were going to pursue. There were some who changed their roles later in life, but they were the exception rather than the rule. He felt his own people's method would be more productive, but then again, he did acknowledge that some of his people became dissatisfied with their role in life, but could not change their path because they were already too invested in it. For the Elissics, that would not be quite as much of an issue.

Nodding to Onyx, Tarentek continued to follow her up the steps towards the center of the nest. As he had not yet fully recovered, he was already showing signs of fatigue from climbing the steep staircase, but he was not too exhausted to continue. "Alright, I shall follow your lead. The others your age, do you think they will be accepting of me, or should I be cautious?" He asked.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek repeated Onyx's farewell, then followed her away from Haku's stall. He hoped that word would spread of the Empire in the east so that travelers would not fall victim to them. Haku'gil seemed to suggest that they attacked travelers, though that was only a rumor. Indeed, most of what Tarentek knew about their enemy that did not relate to their military prowess was merely rumor. It was frustrating to have so little in the way of concrete information about their enemy, but hopefully scouting could remedy that issue.

"I did not expect him to be so friendly to an outsider, though I suppose that is sensible for a merchant. I assume that is one of the traits imparted by what you would call a strong heart. I am guessing I will not receive such a warm welcome from everyone, but I am still...encouraged." Tarentek commented as his gaze wandered off across the market. "So, what do you believe we should do next? We can move on from the market, if you wish. I am curious about the rest of the nest. What does one normally do in their free time in your tribe?"