Private 3:16 to Denon

[Dominique Vexx]

DENON

Dominique rested in the comforts of a lavish leather chair. Her eyes were on the holo of galactic news and market fluctuations while a servant silently poured a small amount of wine into the goblet cradled in the palm of her hand. There was rarely time to simply 'be' in her world. Something was always happening. Events always poised to topple over the cliff's edge. A Director had to act promptly when circumstances changed. So, just because she wasn't in her office didn't mean Dominique could afford to relax. Until Cassian's ship touched down on the landing pad just outside the lounge, she would continue to monitor events near or far.

There was much they could do. It wasn't their first time meeting. Why, she'd even learned a little bit about the man last time on Naboo. Handsome man. Bit forward. Liked art and music despite being a soldier. Well, he'd been brought up in the same household as Sibylla, so why wouldn't he favor refinement? Seemed the Royal Republic's fleet hadn't been as enveloped with machosim as some armed forces were. CorpSec among them. CTRLd? Well, they were a special sort. On the border. Unavoidable considering the absolute focus armed personnel had in the dogged pursuit of their missions.

What interesting sights would she show him? What would he like to see or do? Dominique wondered. It was a large world with things unlike anything on Naboo. Every vice, every taboo imaginable could be found somewhere on Denon. People spoke of freedom, but what was freer than a world where you literally could do anything? It was so vibrant and alive, and that was what Dominique liked. Opposing forces struggled and pulled at one another, never content with the status quo. Of course, it posed challenges for efficiency, but nothing was perfect.

A slow, idle sip of her wine accompanied the next story on the holo. It should be revealing, whatever they ended up doing.

Cassian Abrantes​

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

The ship's repulsors wound down with a steady hum, sending small vibrations through its core as it landed. The sound vibrated through his boots as Cassian descended the ramp. Denon stretched before him in all its luminous sprawl, an ocean of towers and lights, a city that thrived on never drawing breath. He'd been here before, but every return felt like diving headlong into a current that could sweep you away if you weren't careful.

Dominique thrived in this world. He could already picture her, glass in hand, surrounded by luxury without being consumed by it. A woman perfectly at ease where most men would lose themselves. It was part of what unsettled him about her, she didn't just inhabit power, she wore it, like a gown tailored to her very frame.

His pace slowed as the lounge doors parted, revealing her exactly as he expected: poised, regal, utterly untouchable in that leather chair. Yet the untouchable quality only pulled him closer, the same way a painting in a gallery demanded you lean in despite the placard warning not to. Cassian took in the holo-display flickering beside her, the faint gleam of wine against her lips, the way the city's neon light carved delicate shapes across her profile. She hadn't wasted a second of waiting, of course she hadn't. Always working, even in supposed leisure.

He admired that. He envied it, too. His own training had taught him discipline, yes, but also to seek release wherever he could find it—art, music, company. Dominique didn't seem to need release. She was the tension, coiled perfectly, alive in a way few people managed.


"Director," he greeted, voice smooth but carrying the gravel of lengthy days. His eyes flicked briefly to the wineglass, then back to her face. "You make Denon look almost civilized."


The words carried a faint grin, but beneath them, truth lingered. For all its excess, the world felt steadier with her seated at its center.

Dominique Vexx

 

[Dominique Vexx]

Dominique turned her head to look over at the door. "Cassian." The goblet was swung aside to be set down on a side table. She rose to her feet with a warm smile on her lips. "There's no need for titles here." She strode forward to close the distance. "This isn't a business negotiation between strangers." A hand extended for him to take as the other gesture to the lounge. "Care to sit for a moment? Relax from your trip? You haven't already been patrolling the streets or anything strenuous have you?"

A lounge was hardly the best Denon had to offer, but it would be rude to not at least offer. In case Cassian had been working until that moment after all.

"Denon is as civilized as any other world, Cassian. We just have far more people than every other world. Our problems aren't unique, just numerous, and take time to correct." Ayumi certainly believed they could do it and in only a matter of years. Dominique was a little more conservative on the estimate, but didn't argue it. There was enough 'debate' with the Board keeping them out of their way -- certainly couldn't expect the majority to help in any capacity. You had to make them drink, or let them drown, in order to move forward.

Cassian Abrantes​

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Cassian's stride slowed as she approached, the corners of his mouth twitching into something between a grin and a smirk. There was power in the way she moved it was measured, deliberate, but softened by the warmth of her smile. A predator's grace wrapped in civility.


"Dominique, then," he said, her name settling on his tongue with deliberate ease as he reached for her hand. He gave it the sort of clasp that carried both soldier's firmness and courtly restraint, a balance not everyone could manage. "And no, I've not been patrolling your streets. Tempting as it might be. I imagine Denon can keep even the sharpest blade dull from overuse."


He let her hand slip away, gaze flicking past her toward the city lights filtering in through the wide transparisteel wall. Vibrant, chaotic and alive. "A place like this doesn't need me marching about to feel secure. It's too vast, too stubborn to be tamed by anyone. That's its strength, isn't it?"

When he looked back to her, his expression had softened, the soldier's edge tempered with something more personal. "But I'll gladly sit, unless you have another place in mind?" Cassian said, gesturing toward the lounge with a faint tilt of his head. "What are you drinking?"

Dominique Vexx

 

[Dominique Vexx]

Dominique laughed with Cassian's remark about patrolling. "Well, there's certainly something always happening on Denon somewhere." With so many people on the planet it was hard for conflicts not to occur. Even the hundreds of levels was hardly enough to breathing room.

"Be that as it may, Cassian, I do have plans to bring a little more stability to its streets," she added after his comments about its strength. "Much as I and others find it easy to pay criminals to look the other way, they've come to hold too much power in our daily affairs. With the Black Sun's growing influence in nearby systems it's time to remind them who is in charge." If anything, the Executive Board -- and especially Dominique -- was one of those factions vying for territory. Only, the Board seemed content to cede it with ineffective action or the ease in which they were distracted.

With a smile, she gestured for Cassian to take one of the plush seats in the lounge. "There are many places we could go, you and I, but we can take a moment to ourselves." There was nothing wrong with talking. Perhaps Cassian had seen enough of Denon before, but there were still new sights to be found when the time was right. "Corporate Sector Vineyard, Black Cabra Malbec Reytha, 901. Care for a glass?" She'd gesture for the men off to the side to procure a glass for her guest, if Cassian was interested in sampling it.

Cassian Abrantes​

 

[Cassian Abrantes]

Cassian eased into one of the seats, the plush cushion sinking beneath him in a way that almost mocked the rigid posture he carried out of habit. Years of service made it difficult to ever truly relax, yet with Dominique, it was easier to allow the edges to soften, if only a little.


Her words about the Black Sun pulled a shadow across his features. He'd seen them before, saw what they did to systems left to rot under neglect or corruption. "You're right to want their hold broken," he said evenly. "Letting syndicates dictate the terms of life and death only makes every honest man a servant to their ambition. I've fought on worlds where the local government thought it easier to buy silence than enforce order. It never ends well."


Still, he didn't lecture. He wasn't here as a soldier giving report. His tone lightened, a faint smile working its way back as he added, "Though, I imagine you've already thought three moves ahead on how to remind them who's in charge. I'd almost pity them, if they weren't exactly the sort who deserved a reckoning."


When she mentioned the wine, his brow lifted ever so slightly, curiosity playing in his eyes. "Corporate Sector Vineyard, 901? I'll admit, that sounds very specific, perhaps rare?." A small pause, then his smirk grew more pronounced. "You strike me as someone who'd never settle for anything less than the rarest vintage."

He leaned back slightly, settling into the lounge at last. "Yes, I would love a glass. If nothing else, it'll tell me a little more about your taste." His gaze lingered on her as he said it, tone light but carrying a current beneath, more than just a comment on the wine.

Dominique Vexx