A Game of Thrones

[Judah Lesan]

The events of Mindabaal had been something which sent many thoughts spinning around in Xander's mind. He had never made it a secret he was the King of the Indupar Crown Worlds, unfortunately, he had neglected to mention the fact it was 820 years ago. History had recorded Xander Blackmoore was a dead man, but truth told another story. The King was not dead, but very much alive, and with no heir to take his throne, another family sat on the throne with no sign of any Blackmoore legacy. Why would there be. Xander had gone into the coma before fathering an heir. This was no issue as he was alive, and could take his throne back once again. It was time to begin the process of taking the seat once again.

Mindabaal was something which was so inspirational to Xander, he sought to continue the momentum of the successful plan. Another part of Mindabaal had caught Xander's attention as well, the beautiful [member="Darth Noxia"]. They had not met before the wedding, but she had done well to leave an impression. The kiss which Xander had surprised her with had been graciously returned, and over all Xander had walked away from the night with the impression she was as he had called her before, a dangerous beauty.

Vizios had summoned her, well, he had requested a meeting with her. He was curious as to her thoughts on his claim to the Induparan Monarchy, and whether she would be interested in helping him reclaim it. Someone of her grace and elegance would be needed to help woo and distract. Everything Xander was about to set in motion would require her to play a role, one he hoped she was comfortable in playing. This was to be one strategic move after another, and the game had to be played precisely.

Xander stood in the lobby of a rather expensive eatery, waiting for Greta to arrive. His attire was not that of the hunter, which was typical for him, but he was dessed in something more fitting the environment. His long coat protected his vest, ascot, and trousers from the rain which they had been experiencing. His cane sword was all he had to lean against, and it was more for decoration. The reservations were made and set. A fine wine was on reserve. There was nothing better for planning than good food and wine.

Spoiler

 

[Komo]

Mindabaal had been a blast and Noxia had oodles of fun. Apart from meeting up with alot of her fellow comrades and friends, she had also the opportunity to meet up with a certain charming fellow. A man by the name of Xander Blackmoore. He had been quite the interesting person and the kiss she had received at the end of the party was rather thought provoking. Not too long after the royal wedding, [member="Darth Vizios"] had requested to meet up once more, the proposed meeting venue, a fancy eatery of his choice. Greta was half excited, half anxious to meet up with the guy once again. The man had definitely left a favourable impression on her.

After making the necessary preparations, she would leave to meet him. Noxia had decided to come without her armour, not seeing the need to. Hopefully, she wasn't wrong. The blonde was dressed in a black sleeveless dress with several patterns embroidered onto its surface. Walking through the doors that led to the lobby of the swanky eatery, and there her amber orbs fell upon every inch of the room, noting its beautifully decorated interior. Not a bad place at all.

He had good taste in selecting such a place. Eventually spotting the man himself, she would raise a hand in greeting, "Xander, it's a pleasure to meet you once more! You look suave, as always." -ending her greeting with a warm smile, one that he was doubt familiar with by now.

Greta wondered on the topic of their meeting, but from what she had heard before, it would probably have to do with the fact that he was once the King of the Indupar Crown Worlds. Perhaps something along that line.

Spoiler

 

[Judah Lesan]

Xander straightened his posture when [member="Darth Noxia"] entered the lobby. He bowed, and took her hand, placing a kiss to the top of it before letting it go. Her smile only made him smile, it was beautiful and had a dangerous affect. Yes, she was dangerous, and she knew it all to well. Her dress was proof of that. The male mind of Xander easily imagined it on the floor of his bedroom later, but knowing the Sith it was just the distraction which she would employ to create an advantage.

"You are quite beautiful and ravashing yourself," Xander said as he offered his arm.

The hostess took them to their seat where the wine was to be poured. Holding a chair out for her, Xander waited for Greta to sit before pushing it in. Vizios was always the gentleman, the charmer. One would not know if he had any actual interest in the woman or not. On the surface it certainly seemed so, but Xander was this way with any woman he interacted with. The wine was red, and from his personal vault. The craft was the main export of his homeworld, and Xander took pride in the label his family had owned for millennia. Sitting across from her, he smiled.

"I hope you do not mind such a formal setting for this meeting? The setting seemed best though to introduce you to my idea. You are a smart woman, so I will not toy with you. Mindabaal has made me think it is time to begin the process of reclaiming my throne. Perhaps you know it or not, but 820 years ago I was put in a coma, and my throne taken by another family because I had no heir. My queen is dead, my lover is dead, everyone I knew dead, but my throne, it remains, and I want it."

Xander sipped his wine allowing the blonde some time to take in the extremely short version of his story.

"You left an impression on Mindabaal, and I have a role for you to play if you wish it."

 

[Komo]

A smile for a smile. Darth Noxia had no objections when he grabbed her hand for a kiss. Ever the charmer, [member="Darth Vizios"] continued to display gentlemanly behaviour, just like the time they had met during the royal wedding in Mindabaal. He would hold out a chair for her, and she would accept graciously as always. There was a bottle of red wine on the table, and from the label on the bottle, she could tell that this was good vintage wine that they would be having here today.

Greta enjoyed her wine, but she was no wine connoisseur. Pouring themselves some wine while he began speaking, Noxia listened attentively as he got to the meat of the matter. It seemed that her guess about the intention of the meeting was right on the money.

It was indeed about his long lost throne as King of the Indupar Crown Worlds. Vizios desired his throne back, and he wanted her to assist him in it. Her amber eyes narrowed as she processed what the man was saying. It then momentarily widened as he revealed that he was actually eight hundred and twenty years old! She was left momentarily speechless and all she could utter was

"Wow, you're ancient." Darth Noxia quickly regained her focus as she shot two questions towards him. "Firstly, what role would that be? Secondly, what do I stand to gain from helping you?" The shrewd nature of the blonde emerged as she sought for any amount of reasons she could benefit from this. Just the fact that he was attractive wasn't good enough for her. She wanted more.

 

[Judah Lesan]

Xander smirked as he sipped his wine once more. Naturally she wanted something for her troubles, she was Sith. Xander's master had once taught him a valuable lesson in regards to making deals with other Sith. One will always demand something, and what was given up had to be perceived as less valuable than what was gained. Should Xander offer something to Noxia, he had to be sure it was something which would be less than what he stood to gain, but enough to appease her lust for more. Yes, she was Sith, beautiful, but still craved the power every Sith wanted. He did not trust her with a position which would allow her to end him and take what he had worked hard to gain for a second time.

Setting the wine goblet down on the table, he smiled as he looked to the woman. Her amber eyes reminded him of a student, his first apprentice, so long ago. She had been a dangerous vixen in her own right, the daughter of a council member, and quite the seductress. It was a wonder Xander had never fallen for her tempting allurements.

"Before I can reclaim my throne I need to secure the regency of Ec Pand. There is no sense in marching into the throne room and killing the king as the political system is one that would prevent me from taking the seat. However, there is a way to use it to my advantage. An ancient, and well established assassins guild dwells in the mountains of Ec Pand. We are going to lay claim to it, challenge for leadership of it. Once they are ours, we will use them to incite a rebellion among the people, one which see the regant overthrown. I will assume the regency once again in the vaccum which will be created by the death of Lord Wallace. Once the regency is mine, the assassins will be yours."

A brief pause was taken as two prepared meals were set before the two. Red meats went well with red wines, and Xander had taken the liberty of having food prepared for them as well. After all, Xander had to show a measure of good faith, and a taste of the luxury he could provide to his allies.

"A regency for an assassins guild, does this satisfy your thirst for more?"

[member="Darth Noxia"]

 

[Komo]

Her questions had not caught him off guard and she wasn't expecting it to. They were both Sith, and they know what to expect when dealing with each other. Siths were always on the lookout to increase their power or their personal benefits, and Darth Noxia was no different. She would just have to see what he had to offer her that would make it worth her time. The drinking stopped as he set the wine goblet on the table, looking at her in the eyes.

The blonde sith returned his gaze calmly as she awaited his response. It came soon enough, with a rather long explanation tagging along on it. [member="Darth Vizios"] began talking about an ancient well-established assassin guild dwelling in the mountains of Ec Pand. Unfamiliar with the territory, she had no idea where that was, and was skeptical of his offer.

An ancient assassin guild? What need did she have of that? She'll probably have to find some use for them after all. But she was still going to push Xander for more, after all he was going to be a King, surely he could be more generous than that.

Smiling at the man brightly, Noxia would ask "The assassin guild is fine and all, but what else do you have to offer? An assassins guild for a throne sounds strangely inadequate." He had more at stake here than she did, and Noxia wanted to see how badly he wanted back his throne. Noxia then sliced a small portion of the deliciously cooked red meat placed on her dish, and placed it into her mouth sensously, licking her lips as she did so.

Perhaps a little charm would be in order here?

 

[Judah Lesan]

"A regency is not an entire Kingdom," Xander chuckled, "Ec Pand first, Indupar after. The Crown Worlds has two planets. What are you after my dear, [member="Darth Noxia"]," he asked using her Sith name. He knew he was dealing with her at the moment, not the Greta who was the facade she portrayed when convenient as all Sith did.

He took a bit of meat and chewed it. There was a thought that came to his mind as his food was washed down with some wine.

"Are you telling me you want to be the queen?"

The question almost hit the table like solid lead. There was nothing higher Xander had to offer, and he went right for it. Perhaps she would say no, but what if she said yes? Was he willing to enter into that kind of alliance with someone he did not truly know? The negotiations were getting quite fun. They would land on something they could agree upon, but if Noxia wanted more than the guild, she'd have to help with more than his little coup on Ec Pand. Xander was leery of giving any one person that much sway in what he handed out. Less involvement meant he handed out small rewards.

"What are you interested in?"

 

[Komo]

Now that [member="Darth Vizios"] had revealed what was at stake as well as the highest item he could offer, Darth Noxia made a complete reversal. He was probably expecting her to take him on the offer to be queen, but that wasn't something she was interested at the moment. She would decline the highest offer Xander had, instead settling on just the assassin's guild he had offered her earlier. After all, it was always a great choice to see all your options before proceeding. Was it a trick? Absolutely not. She just had to ensure things were in her utmost benefit before proceeding. Can't blame a girl for trying.

Big rewards usually came with an bigger involvement, and Noxia did not want to get himself into a pit she could get out off. Respectfully declining his highest offer, she would say, "Oh no, the assassin's guild will do just fine. I just wanted to take a look at all my options, see what was on the table here before I made my decision." More flirty smiles would come in to play here, just add a little charm factor into the whole equation here.

Darth Noxia would then pose a question to Vizios that would accompany itself with a smile. "Now that the terms are laid out and agreed upon, what's next? How or when do we begin?" Despite all her coolness, Greta had never taken in anything of this sort before, and she was interested to see how it all played out in the great interest of things. Would there be battle she wonder? She did rather enjoy her fighting after all.

 

[Judah Lesan]

[teal=color]"Trying to get me to lay all my cards on the table,"[/color] Xander questioned already knowing the answer. This pleased him. "Fortunately for myself I've played this game enough to not pay anything on the table. I never said I'd be willing to make you my queen, simply asked if you wished it. No woman has ever won that distinction."

His words would either serve as a deterant from trying, or challenge her press for more. Xander would watch. Nothing was truly off the table, but his words were true. There was no one above earning the right to be his queen, but the challenge of winning it was nothing light and easy. She seemed satisfied with the guild, and it was all Xander would give for now. He smiled. She was eager to get started. The food was finished before Vizios spoke again.

"We leave in two hours. Prepare what gear you need and meet me on platform theta. You will accompany me on my personal ship. I own an enstate on Ec Pand. My family has owned it for a long time, and no one knows it as well as I do. Once we have arrived there, we will seek out the guild. Darkness is our ally, so we will intrude upon them in the cover of night."

The detail Xander purposefully neglected was the fact the guild viewed women as property, and used them for pleasure. The view would be she was his play thing. Xander could not risk her disagreeing to help because she did not wish to play the part. It was ironic she would be their new leader when this was all done. Naturally he did this on purpose. Once Noxia was in control, Xander had no doubt she would change them.

[member="Darth Noxia"]

 

[Komo]

His response was not something that she was surprised about. It did not bother her in the least as she had no intentions of being his queen, or had even given any thought about it. Darth Noxia would not press any further as that was clearly all there was to be offered anyway. She would take this so called 'guild' anyway. She could always find some way to get rid of them if they posed any significant trouble to her.

Exposing the naughty ones to the effects of the dark side should get them to behave.

They could finally start. That was good. The sooner they could start and stop idling around, the better. [member="Darth Vizios"] then gave her a list of instructions, informing her that they would be leaving in two hours, and to gather on platform theta, where they would then be taking his own personal ship to Ec Pand. There they would be residing in his old family's estate, and work from there.

Two hours came and went, and Noxia had gathered whatever that is she needed, which wasn't much at all. She was dressed for combat, fully adorned in her war armour, complete with the matching helmet, its eye view plates raised up for recognition sake. Her lightsaber firmly secured on a belt at her hip. She would wait for [member="Darth Vizios"] to arrive, and then the pair would be off to the regions he once called home, and then they could finally start the mission for good. It was good to get some action on the road.

 

[Judah Lesan]

Xander waited for Noxia, he was on the ship before she arrived. His own finer clothing had been changed for a leather breastplate, black pants, and his belt which carried twin sabers. His bow and arrow remained in his quarters for now. He would need them when they made the strike. Eyes lifted when [member="Darth Noxia"] arrived. Xander noted her armor and smirked. This was the first he'd seen her dressed as a warrior, and it fit her well. The ship took off soon after they were settled, and Xander made himself quite the hospitable traveling companion.

"Wine," he asked as he waved his hand over the holomap in the center of his ship lounge. "These are the mountains just north of my families estate. The compound we are going to strike has entrance to the east. It's heavily guarded, so we need to avoid it. There is a secret entrance to the west. Some poor assassin had no choice but to tell me. Being King doesn't come without it's hazards. Fortunately for me, I know how to stay alive, and get what I want."

He pointed out the climb they would have to make, and the entrance location, before looking back up to Noxia's Amber orbs. A sip of wine was taken as he stepped out of the way for her to take a better look.

"We arrive in three hours. Any questions about the plan before we land? Once inside it will be a fight until we get the attention of the guild master. Only then can a challenge he made for control."

 

[Komo]

Xander arrived at the spaceport dressed smartly in a leather breastplate and black pants with twin blades on his belt. It was not a bad look for the man, different from the suits she usually saw him in. The pair soon gathered and moved off into the Vizios's ship, and they were off. Finally, they were getting somewhere. Once aboard Xander's personal ship, ever the hospitable host, her poured themselves a glass of wine each.

The man sure did love his wines. After a sip or two, Darth Noxia began to listen he delved into where they were going to be doing next, relying on the holographic map in the centre of his ship's lounge. Basically from what she gathered, they would first have to take a stealth approach to gain entry into the compound.

Apparently, there was a secret entrance to be found somewhere.

Vizios then mentioned about his skill of staying alive and getting what he wanted. That was a useful skill indeed, a skill that she did possess as well. As he pointed out the climb and the entrance location with several indications and gestures of his fingers, he glanced back at her eyes. He would find hers meeting his, an inquiring gaze in her eyes. "Is something the matter?" She would ask, surprised by the sudden pause as he gazed upon her. Xander then moved on to inform her that they would be landing in three hours, and that was plenty of time for her to catch some shut eye before the action started.

"No questions, can't wait for the fight."

Boy, she sure did love a fight.

[member="Darth Vizios"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

Sleep, Xander needed it. Most nights he did not sleep becaise fmhim nightmares. Three hours was enough to pant his latest vision. The nightmare was something he was not willing to share his weakness with those he knew little of. A twisted grin pulled at his mouth asmhe shook his head.

"Nothing..."

Xander simply nodded as she expressed she couldn't wait for the fight. His glass of wine was finished in a gulp as he motioned toward the quarters in the back of the ship. They were not too large as Xander moved about in a ship which was not one a king would usually be seen in. He took pride in moving around in stealth.

"You may use any of the quarters you find in the back if you wish to rest. Sleep usually evades me," he said as the glass was set down.

Since there were no questions, Xander waved the holomap off, and returned to the couch in the lounge. He decided he would not attempt sleep as there was no reason to be troubled by his dreams before the battle they faced. The proximity alarm would tell them they were near the planet, and once they cleared the atmosphere, the ship landed. Xander stood at the loading ramp and waited for [member="Darth Noxia"] once more. He was eager to have the guild.

 

[Komo]

Darth Noxia began to head towards the back portion of Vizios's ship looking for an appropriate quarters to nap in. They had time to kill, three hours of it, and she might as well get some shut eye seeing as she had nothing else better to do at the moment. Many years ago when she was still part of the military, Greta would have slept anywhere as long as it was comfortable. Things had changed now. Now a Sith, her preferences have changed as well.

She was definitely alot more picky now.

Being able to appreciate and afford the luxury in life, she had lived the life of opulence and has gotten spoilt by it. Clicking her tongue at the available quarters, Noxia eventually settled onto the one she had deemed the most decent.

Making herself as comfortable as she could, she removed her war armour, simply remaining in a black form-fitting bodysuit as the blonde knight fell into slumber, saving what energy she could for the fights that would come later. There was really nothing else to do at the moment. Just waiting. Plenty of it.

[member="Darth Vizios"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

Well there actually were some better things to do than sleep, but that would require they both wanted to participate equally in that paticular activity. Xander, he was never one to turn down a little fun, but the past three hours had allowed him to put to canvas his most recent vision. With the image transfered from his mind to canvas, he could focus on what was at hand. Vizios had learned the dangers of bringing others into his own personal nightmare, and he was uncertain whether Greta was one he could trust to know it or not. He would not have his farseeing exploited for others use.

Xander armed himself with his bow and arrows, walking down the ramp as he did so. The ship had touched down in the woods, and slight walk would be needed before they would reach the base of the mountians. The timing could not have been any better. The two had the cover of nighfall to mask their approach, and since the guild they were going for at this moment was not one to rely too much on technology, he was certain the ship had not been detected.

"Are you ready for this," Xander asked his partner for this little excursion. "If we time this right, the guards will be our onl concern. The rest of the guild should be asleep."

With a nod, Xander began to walk. If Noxia was ready or not, they had to start moving. The ground was cool, telling Xander they had landed in the later part of nightfall, and he wanted to be up the mountain side before dawn. Should they have to climb the mountain wall at dawn, they would be easily picked off.

[member="Darth Noxia"]

 

[Komo]

One good nap later, they had arrived at their destination. Just like that, three hours had passed. Noxia could hardly believe she had slept for three hours, it barely felt like two! Suiting back into her armour, preparing herself as the ship descended towards their objective. [member="Darth Vizios"] was armed with a bow and arrows, although she was sure that his lightsaber was definitely somewhere on his person. It was unwise for a force user trained in the use of a lightsaber to be absent without one in combat at any time.

Darth Noxia herself was equipped with Sinister, her trusty lightsaber along with her Hellfire slugthrower pistol. It packed a mean punch, able to shread through armoured and unarmoured targets alike.

Walking down the ramp, Noxia realised she was in a forest. It was late at night and the woods was rife with sounds of the nocturnal creatures. Her HUD had already gone into action, identifying the culprits making the noises. She blinked it all away being the unimportant details she did not require right now. Xander then spoke.

Noxia replied her companion, "As ready as I'm gonna be. We starting yet?" He then started walking off as soon as she finished, she acknowledged the move with a simple nod, moving off to follow closeby.

The trek towards the mountain had begun.

 

[Judah Lesan]

At the base of the mountain there was no sign of the west entrance. Xander wasn't concerned though, he simply began to climb. They were at a point where they had to be quiet. Where it was possible, Xander used the force to leap to whatever landings presented themselves. He moved quickly. Vizios wondered how [member="Darth Noxia"] was getting by in her heavy armor. Xander had not worn armor because of the climb.

Nearing the top, there were four guards. Xander took care of two of them with the force, and sent a mental nudge to Noxia to deal with the other two. The bodies would be disposed by tossing them down the cliffside, and the two would be free to move about. Xander grinned as they reached the landing holding the entrance.

"We kill as little as possible. Remember we need the guild to take back the regency. Until I have Ec Pand, I will never have Indupar."

 

[Komo]

At the base of the mountain, the pair began their climb. [member="Darth Vizios"] unencumbered by any form of armour as he climbed up the mountain steadily aided by force leaps where ever possible. Darth Noxia was no slouch either, catching up to him at a steady pace. She may not have been as quick as him, burdened by the armour, but to move at such a speed with the weight on her was already a notable feat.

The armour wasn't exactly that heavy either, and with years of both military and Sith training under her belt, this was nothing. Greta had made sure to always keep her body in great shape, ever ready for whatever came next. As the Sith duo reached the top, four guards were found to be present. Vizios had gone ahead to deal with two of the left, leaving her to deal with the other two.

Ending their pathetic lives with not so much as a gasp, their bodies were then thrown off the mountainside, the bones in their corpses breaking up as they landed. As far as people would know, these guards had fallen on the cliffs. Only through further inspection would the true cause of death be found, but by then, it would have been too late.

Regrouping up back with Xander, Greta said. "The guards have been taken care of. What's next?"

 

[Judah Lesan]

Watching another accomplished assassin use the force was beauty incarnate. The force simply enhanced the way she moved, and Xander assumed he only looked the same, though a little less graceful as his build demanded he move in a slightly different way. When Greta moved, he moved, and as her attention turned to the other two guards, Xander nodded to Greta. The door they needed was now in full view.

"This door opens to the back of the main chamber. It should be empty as the curfew is very strict here. Training begins at sunrise, though I am sure they will wake when I announce myself."

Despite the possibility of an empty hall, the back entrance had fewer guards to contend with as an army could never had made the climb without being spotted. Other guards would be roaming the halls as well, but the force did not warn Xander of other bodies directly behind the door. Pressing against the door controls, the steel door opened to a quiet empty hall. The woosh of the open echoed through the main chamber, and again as it closed. Six pillars rounded the circular perimeter of the chamber, each having a different word carved into them. The floor was smooth, yet still the natural stone of the mountain the structure had been built into. Torches lined the walls to provide light to the room. The smell of blood and sweat filled the room. They had already seen a death tonight.

Xander motioned to the pillars, drawing Adgertesse's attention to them.

"Honor, Discipline, Loyalty, Sacrifice, Intellect, Strength. The principles we were trained to live by."

Xander saw it. The large gong to announce he was making a challenge. It was now or never. Walking to it he grabbed the large mallet, and struck the gong

A new secret revealed, Xander had been trained by this guild to kill.

[member="Darth Noxia"]

 

[Komo]

The Sith pair then proceeded inside the back door of the structure, heading deeper into its interior. Vizios then mentioned about the curfew the guild had, as well as the training they had at sunrise. "You certainly seem to know a lot about the guild." Darth Noxia was starting to get skeptical about his behaviour, but she kept it to herself for now, maybe he just did his homework. As they came upon the door controls, she was surprised once more to find it both unsecured and unguarded.

Either this guild was really comfortable with their security or the Sith duo were expected.

Whichever it was, Noxia did not like it one bit. It smelt like bad news. A trap or ambush of some sort. Deeper they went, further into the bowels of the building until they came into view of several tall pillars. [member="Darth Vizios"] then explained to her about the meaning and significance of each pillar. Except that he used the word, 'we'.

Darth Noxia then posed the question to her companion. "What do you mean by we?". Barely seconds after she finished, he ran forward to strike a huge gong. She had no idea what was going on right now, but it was definitely not good.

Treachery was afoot.