Jaina Solo Fel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
solo_sword) wrote2008-10-17 06:49 am
solo_sword) wrote2008-10-17 06:49 am
Borleias, Friday Fandom time
Somehow when Jaina went to meet with her supposed psychological warfare experts, she had been expecting to be dealing with very different people. What she got was Sharr Latt, a garishly-dressed human who declared himself to be a Wraith, and to Jaina's utter surprise, a Gamorrean. "And is this one a Wraith, too?" she asked.
"I am," the Gamorrean answered, despite the fact that most of his species didn't have the vocal capabilities to speak Basic. "My name is Voort saBingring. You can call me Piggy."
Considering she'd been joking when she asked and had not expected Piggy to answer her, she covered for that by shaking their hands and asking, "So, what are we doing today?"
Sharr pointed outside, and replied, "We're going out there. We'll find a pool fed by cool underground springs. We'll bathe one another while Piggy stands guard, and see what develops from there." He shrugged. "Or, we can talk about psychological warfare and how it is applied to the Yuuzhan Vong."
"I'll take the psychological warfare," Jaina said immediately.
Rather than the pool plan, they ended up atop the biotics building, watching the mechanics work below. It was sort of sad how long it had been since Jaina had done anything as simple as lay out in the sun, and even now she could technically say she was working.
"Your work in the Hapes Cluster was pretty good," Sharr started off.
"Pretty good," she said, looking up at him. "Meaning you think it could have been better." When Sharr didn't answer save for a distracted nod, she pressed, "How?"
"Your tricks were good ones," he said, looking up from his datapad. "But they weren't layered. You'd have one trick, and it would baffle them and kill them, and that would be it. Sometimes two. You need to have trick after trick available, so there's never any end to them; that's what they expect of their Trickster goddess. The second problem is that the Yuuzhan Vong could eventually figure out how you performed your tricks. That bit with the tracers, where each Yuuzhan Vong ship broadcast the distinctive signal of your ship, so they'd fire on one another- good thinking. But if you'd had a little charge in each one that would detonate it, then they'd never have understood how you caused them to fire on each other. And it's incomprehension, never figuring out the trick, that fills them- and us, for that matter- with supernatural dread."
"I like the sound of 'supernatural dread,'" Jaina admitted, considering this.
"We want them to suspect, not that you're somehow associated with Yun-Harla, not that you're a priestess or something, but that you are her." He put his datapad away and continued, "Everything you do should promote that impression, even in extremely minor ways. In fact, you're doing it now."
Jaina frowned. It didn't seem to her that she was doing anything. "How?"
"A goddess does not work. And here you are, lounging around, being lazy in clear view of all the pilots and mechanics in the field below. A goddess does not fear. And here you are, in plain sight of the Yuuzhan Vong, resting on a higher level than your two companions. Speaking of companions, goddesses have strange ones. Hence a Gamorrean and some idiot in nauseatingly bright colors."
"I get it," Jaina said. "This is why Piggy is here even though he's not talking about starfighter tactics yet."
"Very good," Sharr told her. "From now on, you're on stage every minute of every day. We're not going to say you're a goddess. We're just going to treat you as though you are one, and you're going to act accordingly."
"Never ask when you can order," Piggy chimed in.
"Never work- except the work Yun-Harla would perform. Putting together tricks, that is. Don't do things for yourself. We'll get you a porter if you don't have someone who'll do it for you."
"Don't be subtle in your motions. "Big, generous gestures, as if you were used to conducting an orchestra."
None of this really sounded like her at all. Jaina was very occasionally guilty of bouts of laziness, but she was no stranger at all to hard work and wasn't sure even she could be that much of a brat. "People are going to hate me,"she said. "They're going to think I've become horribly stuck up."
"That's right," Sharr smiled.
"But in private-"
"In private, you continue the illusion," Piggy answered. "Though you can tell anyone you trust absolutely."
"No, she can't," Sharr countered.
"Yes, she can."
"I'm the psychological warfare expert here, and I say she can't."
"I'm three times your mass, and can take off your head with a single bite, and I say she can."
"Excuse me?" Jaina interrupted. " In case you haven't noticed, I'm still here."
Piggy and Sharr looked at each other. "She has us on that one," Sharr said.
"She is indeed still here," Piggy agreed.
"Listen, Great One."
"Don't call me that," Jaina said quickly, already tiring of it.
"I need to. We all do," Sharr told her. "The thing about telling people- inevitably, the Yuuzhan Vong will have spies here. In our camp, in our base. The more people who know that you're not really becoming as arrogant as a Kuati merchant princess, the more likely it is that those spies will notice. Tell whoever you want- but be aware that every extra person means the chances increase that the truth will spread."
She frowned, not really loving her own idea so much anymore. It wasn't like she was going to go blabbing this to everyone. Everyone important had been at that meeting where she detailed her plan, or had been told in Fandom. She didn't really think anyone else had to know. And the fact that people didn't know about this in Fandom became a really good incentive to go back there.
"General Antilles has already broken Twin Suns Squadron out of the normal command structure," Piggy reminded her. "Which makes sense, as a goddess wouldn't have a formal rank within New Republic hierarchy."
"Good point," Sharr said, going back for his datapad again. "That means we can arrange for your pilots to be called by whatever maximum rank they've attained, since it has no bearing on your unit's command structure. Colonel Jagged Fel. Jedi Master Kyp Durron. No, not just Jedi Master. Kyp Durron, the Destroyer of Worlds, is subordinate to Jaina. To the Yuuzhan Vong, that will be significant. What do you think?"
Jaina kind of liked the thought of Kyp being called subordinate to her, if she was being honest with herself. And certain parts of this did have its appeal. "You mentioned a porter. Can I have anyone I want as my manservant?" Look whose boyfriend was getting a job.
"That's what it is to be a goddess."
[NFI, NFB, OOC okay. Dialogue taken from Rebel Dream by Aaron Allston, who I love muchly for scenes like this.]
"I am," the Gamorrean answered, despite the fact that most of his species didn't have the vocal capabilities to speak Basic. "My name is Voort saBingring. You can call me Piggy."
Considering she'd been joking when she asked and had not expected Piggy to answer her, she covered for that by shaking their hands and asking, "So, what are we doing today?"
Sharr pointed outside, and replied, "We're going out there. We'll find a pool fed by cool underground springs. We'll bathe one another while Piggy stands guard, and see what develops from there." He shrugged. "Or, we can talk about psychological warfare and how it is applied to the Yuuzhan Vong."
"I'll take the psychological warfare," Jaina said immediately.
Rather than the pool plan, they ended up atop the biotics building, watching the mechanics work below. It was sort of sad how long it had been since Jaina had done anything as simple as lay out in the sun, and even now she could technically say she was working.
"Your work in the Hapes Cluster was pretty good," Sharr started off.
"Pretty good," she said, looking up at him. "Meaning you think it could have been better." When Sharr didn't answer save for a distracted nod, she pressed, "How?"
"Your tricks were good ones," he said, looking up from his datapad. "But they weren't layered. You'd have one trick, and it would baffle them and kill them, and that would be it. Sometimes two. You need to have trick after trick available, so there's never any end to them; that's what they expect of their Trickster goddess. The second problem is that the Yuuzhan Vong could eventually figure out how you performed your tricks. That bit with the tracers, where each Yuuzhan Vong ship broadcast the distinctive signal of your ship, so they'd fire on one another- good thinking. But if you'd had a little charge in each one that would detonate it, then they'd never have understood how you caused them to fire on each other. And it's incomprehension, never figuring out the trick, that fills them- and us, for that matter- with supernatural dread."
"I like the sound of 'supernatural dread,'" Jaina admitted, considering this.
"We want them to suspect, not that you're somehow associated with Yun-Harla, not that you're a priestess or something, but that you are her." He put his datapad away and continued, "Everything you do should promote that impression, even in extremely minor ways. In fact, you're doing it now."
Jaina frowned. It didn't seem to her that she was doing anything. "How?"
"A goddess does not work. And here you are, lounging around, being lazy in clear view of all the pilots and mechanics in the field below. A goddess does not fear. And here you are, in plain sight of the Yuuzhan Vong, resting on a higher level than your two companions. Speaking of companions, goddesses have strange ones. Hence a Gamorrean and some idiot in nauseatingly bright colors."
"I get it," Jaina said. "This is why Piggy is here even though he's not talking about starfighter tactics yet."
"Very good," Sharr told her. "From now on, you're on stage every minute of every day. We're not going to say you're a goddess. We're just going to treat you as though you are one, and you're going to act accordingly."
"Never ask when you can order," Piggy chimed in.
"Never work- except the work Yun-Harla would perform. Putting together tricks, that is. Don't do things for yourself. We'll get you a porter if you don't have someone who'll do it for you."
"Don't be subtle in your motions. "Big, generous gestures, as if you were used to conducting an orchestra."
None of this really sounded like her at all. Jaina was very occasionally guilty of bouts of laziness, but she was no stranger at all to hard work and wasn't sure even she could be that much of a brat. "People are going to hate me,"she said. "They're going to think I've become horribly stuck up."
"That's right," Sharr smiled.
"But in private-"
"In private, you continue the illusion," Piggy answered. "Though you can tell anyone you trust absolutely."
"No, she can't," Sharr countered.
"Yes, she can."
"I'm the psychological warfare expert here, and I say she can't."
"I'm three times your mass, and can take off your head with a single bite, and I say she can."
"Excuse me?" Jaina interrupted. " In case you haven't noticed, I'm still here."
Piggy and Sharr looked at each other. "She has us on that one," Sharr said.
"She is indeed still here," Piggy agreed.
"Listen, Great One."
"Don't call me that," Jaina said quickly, already tiring of it.
"I need to. We all do," Sharr told her. "The thing about telling people- inevitably, the Yuuzhan Vong will have spies here. In our camp, in our base. The more people who know that you're not really becoming as arrogant as a Kuati merchant princess, the more likely it is that those spies will notice. Tell whoever you want- but be aware that every extra person means the chances increase that the truth will spread."
She frowned, not really loving her own idea so much anymore. It wasn't like she was going to go blabbing this to everyone. Everyone important had been at that meeting where she detailed her plan, or had been told in Fandom. She didn't really think anyone else had to know. And the fact that people didn't know about this in Fandom became a really good incentive to go back there.
"General Antilles has already broken Twin Suns Squadron out of the normal command structure," Piggy reminded her. "Which makes sense, as a goddess wouldn't have a formal rank within New Republic hierarchy."
"Good point," Sharr said, going back for his datapad again. "That means we can arrange for your pilots to be called by whatever maximum rank they've attained, since it has no bearing on your unit's command structure. Colonel Jagged Fel. Jedi Master Kyp Durron. No, not just Jedi Master. Kyp Durron, the Destroyer of Worlds, is subordinate to Jaina. To the Yuuzhan Vong, that will be significant. What do you think?"
Jaina kind of liked the thought of Kyp being called subordinate to her, if she was being honest with herself. And certain parts of this did have its appeal. "You mentioned a porter. Can I have anyone I want as my manservant?" Look whose boyfriend was getting a job.
"That's what it is to be a goddess."
[NFI, NFB, OOC okay. Dialogue taken from Rebel Dream by Aaron Allston, who I love muchly for scenes like this.]