Kasiya Estates Distillery, Mytilene City, Kasiya
Mytilene City was a resort town at the foot of the Scios Range, and at the northernmost end of one of Kasiya’s biggest agricultural districts. Locally, the area had been known for its food and beverage production even before the Emissary set up shop. Now, Erinyes was doing her best to turn it into a fixture of the Brotherhood. She’d sent invitations out to interested members for a tour of the distillery campus, and perhaps most importantly, an opportunity to taste its lineup—both featured and experimental.
As was proper for any distillery tour, conducted from within an enclosed glass walkway to prevent any muck from getting on the patrons, the process began with a view of its ingredients. Kasiya Estates, the blue-skinned Twi'lek guide proudly boasted, used almost entirely locally-sourced inputs—from Corellian wheat and Zeltron spear-grain, to sugarcane, to the wide variety of produce that went into their various fruit brandies. Only the nepeta and aniseed for their speciality liqueurs were imported from offworld, and only because they hadn’t managed to grow varieties of the same qualty on Kasiya… yet.
The next phase of the tour was the distilling and infusing process. Rows of giant metallic stills lined a warehouse-sized building. Mashed grain and macerated fruit went in, and alcohol came out. Some varieties were routed to infusing chambers containing herbs and seasonings, so the aromatics could impart their own distinct notes into the finished drinks. Others went into apokan or moagwood casks and loaded into an “aging chamber” to take on the qualities of their containers.
Notably hidden was the final production step of the distillery’s flagship whiskey, Dark Elixir. Long rumoured to be (or accused of being) created through Sith alchemy, the distillery staff evaded any questions on the subject. However, anyone sensitive to such things would notice a nexus of Force energies within the distillery’s grounds.
Third, it was on to bottling. Filling machines piped liquid from the distilling rigs into glass containers in a multitude of styles. A few, mostly the fruit brandies, contained small pieces of the fruit that made up their primary flavour. Once bottled and capped, the products were placed into crates for shipping.
Finally, the spectator walkway led to the main event… the tasting.
The tasting rooms were something akin to private pubs. Posters advertising Kasiya Estates’ products hung atop rich hardwood wall panels. A long bar seated six on brass-fixtured stools, with ventilation for those who preferred to smoke with their drinks—though a note on the wall gently reminded them that doing so may mask the taste of Kasiya Estates’ products.
The wall behind the bar was, naturally, filled with the distillery’s entire lineup. Individual holo-terminals in front of each seat cycled through a marquee of Kasiya Estates product labels. They also contained a menu option, featuring a variety of both bar-style snacks and more substantial cold food like sandwiches.
In the centre of the liquor shelf, there was a billboard:
The Kasiya Estates Challenge
Finish one of everything in one tasting session and get a free case of a product of your choice!
Rules: 1. “One of everything” means one shot of each hard liquor, one of each cocktail, and one Mando'ade 2. If you puke or pass out, you lose 3. Eating and drinking water are allowed 4. No cheating with the Force (and we’ll know if you do) 5. If you have alcohol tolerance more than 1.5x the average Human (Zeltrons, Wookiees, Dowutin, other large species, patrons with cybernetic livers, etc.), your drinks must be doubles to count for the Challenge 6. Participants must sign a waiver indemnifying Kasiya Estates against any damages and/or medical expenses caused as a result of participating in the Challenge
Erinyes waited behind the bar as the tasters all filed in and took their seats.
“Hey, everyone. I think you’ve all met me before, but I’ll give you a few minutes to introduce yourselves to each other and order a first round of snacks. Any questions before we start?”
The click-clacking of high heels echoed perfectly through the rustic decor. Morgan flipped her polished phrik lighter in her hand, perfectly manicured fingers rolling it around like a street juggler as she turned in place to observer every nook of the impressive distillery. “Gotta say, you got a pretty nice place here, Erin.” Finally she smiled at the Emissary as she approached her seat.
She knew at least three of the other patrons - a Grand Master was hard to miss, and Miho and Reiden came over on the Kraken, but the other two weren’t familiar, though the Zeltron looked like your average frakboy. Satsi would’ve loved him.
She sat down, straightened her jacket and pulled out a monocle to read the ‘challenge’ pamphlet in more detail.
This is some karkin’, frackin’, no-good tomfoolery!
Nejj was steaming where he stood, even as the formal collar of his buttoned top did its best impression of a child choking him out. His golden gaze was fixed upon everything after the words ‘Rule 5’ on the giant billboard at the center of the liquor shelf.
Who tattled? What sort of fun-hating, self-loathing buffoon went running their mouth about Zeltron physiology and alcohol?
This was an injustice! An outrage! “Unacceptable!” the Zeltron shouted, finally saying the quiet part out loud and tossing his hands up in exasperation.
He was still grumbling as he turned back to face the rest of the gathered folks. Notably, his eyes narrowed at the high heel toting try-hard spending more effort on appearance and poise than actual aura farming. That said, he respected the hell outta the effort.
“Made even more exciting by its patrons.” Erinyes winked at the pirate queen. “I’m glad you could make it. I hope you enjoy the rest of our offerings as much as the Dark Elixir–”
“Unacceptable!”
Erinyes looked around for the source of the outburst, wondering who… ah.
“Excuse me for just a minute,” she said to Morgan, then stepped away and waved to her fellow Zeltron. “Nejj! Good to see you! What’s the matter, dear?”
<@185936112441622529>
His arm draped across the back of a high stool, he stood, head turned toward the others as they found their seats. His scarred sclera obfuscated exactly who or what he was looking at, allowing his gaze a degree of…subtlety was never the right word. He hadn’t bothered with subtlety or stealth since…
An idle hand smoothed back the material of his warcoat, the leather of this one softer and more pliable than his usual. Beneath that, dress slacks, a belt, and a high collared dress shirt in the expected bold purple tone, the top several buttons left open for comfort. He was not dressed for war. Not here. Not to say that he was unarmed. Hells, if he could even truly be unarmed remained a question. Yet, rather than the bevy of blades he was known for, a single hilt lay canted at his left side hip, glinting quietly in the mood lighting of the tasting room. There was an ease about him as he waited for the rest to arrive, his posture less guarded than his reputation probably afforded.
An eyebrow went up as the Zeltron emoted loudly, and a moment later, Muz shifted his weight into the barstool. Mihoshi was of course his little sister, their shared bloodline evident in many ways save for height. Erinyes was one of his eldest allies and friends in Brotherhood space. Morgan and he had some dealings in the past, transactions and trades in the years when she reported to that cursed throne. The tanned human seemed familiar, but Muz wasn’t sure that they had been introduced properly yet. The others were unknown to him thus far. Perhaps. He had found himself in far more social engagements over the last year than he had partaken of for the last ten.
Erinyes had been quite excited to showcase her newest concoctions, and truth be told, he had more than a personal interest as well. Half of a smile crept up the side of his face, considering what offerings he would source here for the bar aboard the new Sadowan Diplomatic Station under construction.
“Uhm,” a Zygerrian in a lengthy trenchcoat with a high collar and many asymmetrical elements raised her rather oversized hand, “General Erinyes, right? Heh, hi.”
She peered around the room and suddenly felt very out of place. And underdressed, or overdressed. Well, cheaper anyway. But at least the clothes were comfortable.
‘Just keep up with the alcohol consumption Zag and you’ll be fine, you can do this!’
“Hi, I’m Zag, and I like drinks, and food. That’s what we’re here for, right?” Umangi gave everyone a broad toothy smile.
She kept a slit open around her emerald eyes to peer between the collar of her coat and her long blunt bangs, before sitting down at the bar.
“Can I smoke?” She pulled out a rather chonky cigar.
Nejj almost seemed taken aback as her looked upon Erinyes and the lumbering gears of his mind worked over the issue. “Hold on a minute! This is your establishment. You are of the Zeltron persuasion—” he paused to gesture vaguely at all of that which was Erinyes. “—this is YOUR doing!”
The man seemed to almost fall into a faint, fanning at himself while turning his gaze skyward in dismay. “One of our own…turning against us…to establish a rule that we must OVERCONSUME just to be ranked amongst the others for a mere challenge? Is this not our path!? Are we not a species of joy and hedonism?”
He recovered just as quickly as he succumbed.
“To be forced to walk the same path as others. This is not the way!”
Erinyes raised a hand to calm the bombastic man, and hoped that her recent diplomatic experiences would be enough to get her through this… disagreement. “No, no, you’ve got it backwards. The rule is there to uh, to protect and guide others! Not to punish us!”
“You and I can indulge in life’s pleasures in quantities that would cause others great harm. The Golden Path doesn’t demand that we suffer or endanger ourselves to experience joy. What sort of stewards would we be if we, blind to our individual differences, insisted that others followed the Path in exactly the same manner as we did—for no reason other than consistency?”
“There’s no reason for indignation, Nejj. If anything, we should celebrate our ability to share our way of life with others in a way that suits them best.”
If this worked, she might start writing her own speeches.
Morgan stared at Erinyes wide-eyes and mouthed a silent: “That was hot.”
Miho had followed along behind Morgan and her clack-clacking quietly, taking in the sights and enjoying the atmosphere. She liked it here on Kasiya. The previous visit being one where she had accompanied her brother on a tour Erinyes was almost unrelentingly excited about had been a great deal of fun.
Seeing the aforementioned brother already in attendance, Miho smiled broadly at him and gave a little wave of her hand in his direction, completely unconcerned who saw.
“It looks like my brother gets to join us as well. Would you like to meet him, Reiden?” The small Odanite asked softly to the man beside her. “He’s really very nice.”
Without waiting for an answer, she waved a greeting to Erinyes who was busy talking to what seemed to be another Zeltron and made her way towards the black-eyed man.
Nejj started indignantly at Erinyes for a moment.
Another.
Just one more.
“Fine, I suppose that’s…fine,” Nejj sighed more than said. Freeing Erinyes of his metaphorical clutches, the enigmatic Zeltron turned his attention back to the rules board and the liquors on offer.
Whew. Crisis averted. Time to attend to the other… attendees.
“Hi, Zag. We’ve met before, right? You’re Aphotis’ pilot.” Erinyes clicked a control behind the bar, and a surprisingly quiet ventilation fan began running. “Sure, smoking’s fine. The snack menu is on the terminal in front of you.”
With Zag settled in, Erinyes slid over to the Keibatsus and Reiden. “Afternoon, friends. Glad you could make it.”
<@284848346672136192> <@227653769842655233> <@232396983854301187>
Umangi’s pink nose practically jumped out of her high collar.
“I am! We’ve met, but I wasn’t sure if you remembered,” the Zyggerian’s voice turned to her usual silvery as she recollected herself, “Oh, yes, thank you, don’t worry I can handle a bit of smoke, it’s like a palette cleanser for me, I smoke after tasting, never before. Well unless it tastes terrible, but that’s not going to happen, right?” Her grin widened until her sharp canines showed clearly.
Zag’s emerald eyes sparkled as she saw the menu. She held the cigar between her thumb and index finger, flicking her wrist to rotate it deftly around her fingers while peering at all of the food.
“My, my. I can has.”
A bit taken aback by meeting the former Deputy Grand Master, he had been grateful for the ride aboard her yacht. He had been on some before, even another Minstrel-class, although those were usually either a clan affair or for battles, maybe a joy ride or two. But it was still a somewhat new experience to him. It was a fun trip.
Then came Kasiya. He had heard it was a nice planet, but seeing it in person was something else. And the distillery? The tour was great. He had soaked up the information offered by the Twi'lek guide, his long-held curiosity about such places satiated. That is, until he had more questions. But he pushed them aside and figured he would do his own research another time, preferring instead to focus on the present. Erinyes had set up an impressive operation, and he already knew that the Dark Elixir was a good product. With any luck, he’d find other offerings that were equally enjoyable.
As the tour ended and they entered the tasting room, the people there drew his attention. The other Zeltron was someone he hadn’t met before, but the Zygerrian looked vaguely familiar, although he wasn’t sure why. He recalled an early trip to the Shame Corner where he had met a Zygerrian woman, but she had looked different. Her name had been Zig, but he didn’t remember her full name.
Heh, Zig and Zag. It would be funny if they knew each other, he mused idly.
Miho’s voice drew his attention, leaving those thoughts behind. Only to be replaced by another one. Of course he had known who her brother was, but they hadn’t met. The prospect of which was rather daunting. But on the other hand, here he was, enjoying a trip here like any other person would do.
With a wave of greeting and acknowledgment to Erinyes, he followed Miho over.
Muz dipped his head a degree in acknowledgement of the landlady, then shifted his head slightly to the side, watching his little sister on approach. Her compatriot lookedonly slightly bewildered, and that was before he looked Muz’s way. Muz shifted his weight in the barstool, propping an elbow on the bar in what he had hoped was the right level of body language for relaxed. He let the half smile reach his eyes as she closed the distance, her mind reaching out to his by instinct.
Words were imprecise. Cumbersome. Easily misunderstood. Inefficient.
The Keibatsu had once been known for using the unspoken to absurd coordination on the field, working almost as limbs of the same war deity as they laid ruin to whatever the target was. Their silence was seen bey their allies as alternating between otherworldly and strange, even if effective. And while this was far from the battlefield, the burst of shared thoughts still made the spoken word obsolete. He watched her for a response, then realized himself. He paused, recognizing the transgression as he tilted his head toward Reiden. Making a sweeping gesture toward one of the other barstools near him, he smiled.
“Welcome.”
Once everyone had gotten settled, Erinyes spoke up from behind the bar.
“Welcome, everyone, to Kasiya Estates’ first exclusive tasting. I hope you enjoyed the tour of our facilities. If there were any questions the staff weren’t able to answer, you’re welcome to ask me.”
“To put your minds at ease, the first one of each drink is free. If you’d like another one of a drink you’ve already had, there’ll be a small charge. Seeing as we have over 40 products on the menu, I’d encourage you to broaden your horizons and try as many of them as you can.”
“Food menus are available on the terminals in front of you, and you can enter your orders there, too. It’s all covered by Kasiya Estates to show our appreciation for your visit today, so long as it stays on the premises,” the Emissary announced. All the speechmaking practice she’d been getting was clearly paying off.
With Nejj and Zag being there, though, she already slightly regretted the free-food policy. If his last visit to Kasiya was any indication, her Zeltron kinsman would want to try one of everything, and the Zygerrian was as big a snack fiend as anyone she’d ever known.
At least it would keep the kitchen busy.
“Your terminals also have the waivers for the Kasiya Estates Challenge. Just so we’re clear, you don’t have to sign up for the Challenge to be able to taste everything. It’s only if you want to try for the free case,” Erinyes explained. “If there are drinks you can’t have because of your physiology or personal beliefs, we’ll find a suitable substitute. Unless you have a rule against drinking alcohol, of course.” Erinyes grinned.
“We’ve put together a suggested tasting order that I’ll be serving from, but if you see something that excites you, flag me down and you can jump ahead.”
Zag sat on the edge of her seat.
“Oh, oh, oh, oh! Can I order a small sample of each product, they all look so good and I’d feel such deep remorse if I weren’t going to try them all and didn’t expand my horizon a little!” Her grin widened.
She had already signed the waiver with one of the memorized forged signatures that she came to associate with herself.
“Bring it!” Her tone of voice significantly lowered.
“Definitely! That’s a great way to sample everything without going overboard. If you’re doing the challenge, though, you’ll still have to do full drinks to win the free case—partials don’t count.”
“Works for me! This is gonn’ be good.” The Zygerrian rubbed her large hands together in antici-
Erinyes tapped her terminal’s input panel with a flourish, and the tasting menu appeared in holo behind her.
Suggested Tasting Order
Sampler Flights
Morgan adjusted her monocle, squinted and started whispering to herself. “Sampler one for me, sampler two for the crew, and sampler four for Torve, because she’s a special needs child with a tase for citrus. Ugh,” the disgust at her Bosun’s tastes was clear, but she did say she would at least try. “Let’s get this over with,” she said, smiled, and added a bit more loudly so Erin could hear her, “I’d like sampler four.”
“Sampler one for me, hope they bring in the food soon too, I’m starving.” Zag seemed to fidget with just about anything she could fidget with, except for the cigar. Couldn’t ruin that, no, no.
Reiden inclined his head to the man as he approached. “Thank you.” He took a seat at the bar and faced Erinyes as she began talking. When she had finished, he scanned the terminal in front of him, seeing a much larger list than he had anticipated. He turned to his traveling companion and the former Grand Master, noticing that he could see some familial resemblance between the two now that he was closer. “I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Reiden.”
Miho watched her brother with an amused smile as she approached, seeing him go to the effort of being relaxed and unassuming struck her as quite funny. At the first whisper of his mind against her own, a contact she hadn’t felt for a number of years, she moved like a satellite in orbit and placed herself at a nearby stool.
She had been about to introduce her companion when he spoke on his own. One fine eyebrow arched as she watched Reiden. She wanted to step in, but felt it would be better for him in the long run to deal with her formidable brother first hand.
<@232396983854301187>
“No…” His voice was gravel upon stone, low and with a slight tinge of Coruscanti in his pronunciation. He paused a moment out of habit. All too often, someone near him would have immediately filled the air and recite a litany of names and titles and unnecessary but exceptionally polite points. He had found that interrupting their rituals was rarely worth the annoyance. But today, none came. No heralds or chamberlains to inject extravagance. He let the smile reach his eyes. Dipping his head a half degree, he spoke, the fire across his vocal chords enforcing the choice of his words. “Muz.”
I have been told that it is rude to use the old ways to those unaccustomed. The thought drifted to <@227653769842655233> before he turned his attention back toward Reiden. “Forgive my voice.” He gestured at the menus, his finger holding over one of the samplers for a moment.
Had his irises been visible, they would have seen them drift toward Erinyes, waiting for her to clance his direction before reaching out with his mind. She had known him long enough to know his ways. If a picture was worth a thousand words, direct communication was ever greater. The view of his finger on the menu pointing at sampler one came first, the whiskeys an obvious fit for the Lord of the Krath’s personal taste. Then the image of Mihoshi and Reiden flashed as they consulted their menus, and a stack of his own credits. It was only half a heartbeat, but it had told her everything that she needed to know, for the moment anyway.
When the orders flowed in, the real show began. Erinyes half-closed her eyes in concentration, and a dizzying array of drinks started coming together. Shot glasses floated up from stacks and formed lines down the bar. An assembly line of bottles floated off the wall. filling the small glasses partway so that the patrons could sample all of the Distillery’s delights.
To Muz, she extended the telepathic equivalent of a thumbs-up icon—along with an image of notes from the succession of cocktail napkins handwritten document where Erinyes had first brainstormed the event. The view zoomed in on one particular point: “Samples and the Challenge are free”.
After a few minutes, each of the patrons had a rack of partly-filled shot glasses in front of them. Holographic labels denoted the contents of each glass. For Morgan, the selection was as fruity and boozy fiery as she was. Jewel-fruit tihaar, almost menacingly clear. Peach and shuura spirits, slightly tinted and less likely to dissolve the countertop varnish if spilled. The citrusy selections were a little different, with the sour being bright yellow and the sweet being vibrant orange, rather than clear.
For everyone else, the glasses contained were the first seven items on the Distillery’s tasting roster, which conveniently overlapped the whiskey sampler. The flight included three varieties of Dark Elixir in numerical order (5, 10, and 15 years), the “Darth Cerasus” cherry whiskey, the “Dragostae” spear-grain whiskey, and the Dust-Corn and Amburana Dust-Corn whiskies to round out the selection.
Fortunately for the famished, food began arriving, too. For Zaagnika “Captain Snacks” Umangi, that meant platters of high-quality appetizers. Half a dozen flavours of sy-hen wings. Salt-and-pepper spareribs. Deep-fried cheese sticks with dipping sauces. A veggie plate, almost as an afterthought. Although the menu had contained far more, the vittles quickly filled the available space around her—an implicit admonishment to finish what she had first.
Zag’s emerald eyes widened as the food came in. Her fingers pointed towards each drink and dragged a line to what food would likely fit with it based on their appearance and description. Then she raised her shoulders in a shrug as the mental list became too long and the excitement too much.
“If these are the appetizers, I better get started! Can I? Can I? Do I have to do some sort of prayer or something? This looks amazing!”
Reiden watched the man. He was at ease, nothing like the more formal meetings he was typically a part of when it came to his own leaders. He never liked all those trappings anyway and tried to avoid it whenever possible - although he showed up to formal events, because that was just the thing to do. Whether this was the former Grand Master’s own nature, due to the venue, or a combination of the two wasn’t clear to him. But it was, however, refreshing. It made him feel more at ease himself.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he replied, before waving a hand. “Oh, it’s nothing to worry about.”
As he looked at the menu once more, he wasn’t sure where to even begin. So many of the options looked good. Trying everything would have been unwise, and he could even make more trips here in the future, try the others then. He knew the siblings had been here before and was about to turn and ask their advice when racks of samples began appearing, alongside offerings of food.
Erinyes looked around, trying to figure out who Zag was asking for permission. “Of course, it’s your food. Unless you feel like sharing with someone.”
“Oh, of-course, uhm, if anyone wants to try something, feel free, I guess,” Zag’s silvery voice suddenly rose in pitch and her grin widened.
Her arms began to embrace the food as if creating an imaginary forcefield. The pupils in her emerald eyes dilated and she peered around the area in suspicion, occasionally shoving food down.
Every bite was like a new state of euphoria.
‘So. Blasted. Good.’
Nejj, who thus far had graced the gathered patrons with not a single iota of his attention (so much the better for them), found himself staring judgily at the various drinks and foods as they were placed out.
Everything must be observed and graded. Their scent? Exquisite. Visual appeal? On fleek. Their taste? TO BE DETERMINED!
Now humming a spy thriller theme, the Zeltron weaved between people to find his sample platter.
There was not only a sampler rack of drinks, but two sampler platters of appetizers, with more food to come. All was laid out in front of Nejj’s seat at the bar, for him to peer over like a monarch surveying his kingdom.
Seven small glasses lay in front of him, tapered from a wide and heavy base and rising to a small aperture. He had recognized the make from elsewhere, the design intended to funnel the scent to the taster’s nose. Drams of liquid, varying in color from pale gold to dark amber swirled in them as they sat on the board carved to hold them mostly secure. He let his eyes drift across the tags, mind dissecting them.
Of course, he had previously enjoyed the Dark Elixirs in 5 and 10 year vintages. Warming, roasty, with subtle notes from the barrels that grew with age. They were not an insubstantial reason for his return to try the rest. He had high expectations for the 15, and curiosity about the dust-corn and spear-grain versions. He had enjoyed spirits based on myriad grains before, but not yet those two.
On the other hand, the ‘Darth Cerasus’ label inspired an odd mix of amusement and annoyance in his mind. Adulterating a whisky with …well, anything really, struck him as unnecessary in a raw spirit, given the very existence of cocktails. And the name seemed a petty annoyance. He hadn’t recalled a Darth Cerasus, let alone one famous enough to…
An audible groan escaped his lips as he put it together. Cerasus was the plant, and the name was a pun. He tilted his head, pursed lips as he shifted his view to Erinyes again. She was in the weeds, hands and mind engaged as she poured from many bottles at once, fully immersed in her element. Shaking his head gently, he turned back to the fifteen, fingers closing around the glass and raising it to his nose.
Subtly sweet, the alcohol’s intensity had dimmed with age, soaked in flavor from the barrels that gave gentle spice and smoothness to the dram’s scent. Yes, this was where he would start. He looked to his sister and Reiden as they debated their choices, waiting to raise his glass in a tribute to the celebration.
Morgan took to the samplers like a gundark to a fresh kill. She drank one, noted what she disliked about it most, noted that that is exactly what Torve actually liked about it, and then proceeded to the next one. The fruitiest, sweetest, most disgusting of the drinks would win. Then she’d buy a shipment’s worth and never ever entertain a wager with the Pantoran again. Ever.
With each successive drink her face turned into a deeper, more wrinkly grimace. The one in the middle, Oya’lab Pirun — some goola yolocola from Dac — changed her mind a bit, but not enough to buy herself a bottle. The rest was…well…not her taste. Her throat convulsed as the sweetness nearly made her gag. She gave props to Erinyes. She nearly made a drink that could make her vomit without being drunk. She pushed the glasses away from herself and reached for the water.
“And here I was hoping you’d be into fruity things.” She gave the dapper, monocled pirate captain a wink, then raised her voice to the entire tasting parlour. “How’s everybody doing? Ready for your next round?”