A King Without a Kingdom

[Aurelius Baldor]

With Malicar gone, Aurelius sighed, downing the rest of his glass and moving over to the liquor cabinet. "Would you like anything to drink, Nyx dear?" He asked as he surveyed his choices. He could use a stiff drink after today. "I apologize that you caught me at the same time as our Chiss associate there. But at least now we have some time to ourselves." Aurelius said, his guards taking the cue as they dismissed themselves from the room. "And I suppose now we have even more to discuss." He had not intended to join Malicar, but Nyx had convinced him to at least give Black Sun one more chance. He silently ruminated on whether he had been played, by either of them. Had he trusted Nyx too much? Only time would tell, he supposed.

[member="Nyx N1X3"]​

 

[Nyx N1X3]

"I would appreciate that, Aurelius," Nyx replied to the offer for a drink. Despite her chassis not requiring such consumption, she knew it had been a characteristic the Devaronian appreciated when they first met. Why not keep up appearances then? Perhaps a little entertainment of the drinking droid.

"No apology is necessary." The droid noted the departure of the guards at Aurelius' verbal suggestion. It was statistically unlikely the man intended any harm, and so Nyx's attention remain with the ambitious gentleman in her presence. "You are a sought after business partner. Hopefully this will open up additional opportunities for you." And consequentially for the Ministry, but Nyx did not intend to "bleed" Aurelius. A mutually beneficial arrangement lasted considerably longer.

However, "Should they not work out, I will ensure your well-being, Aurelius. Whether they uphold their word or not." Promises were worth their weight in credits, but barring an overwhelming need to abandon the Devaronian, the droid fully intended to make good on her promise. Even if she had to be the one to do it herself because her superiors did not want to get involved. It was important to cultivate trust in a relationship as well; otherwise the sharing and communication of lucrative possibilities would not materialize. Somehow, Nyx did not feel the Black Sun would afford her the same consideration. Unfortunate.

Regarding the encounter, however, Nyx was curious about one thing. "I do not intend to pry, but you appeared particularly... disinclined to accept his offer. Prior history?"

Tag: [member="Aurelius Baldor"]​

 

[Aurelius Baldor]

It wasn't so much entertainment as it was that she had drank like an organic back at The Merchant's Wife, and that she seemed to act more organic than droid. Aurelius chuckled at "sought after business partner" and retrieved a bottle of Crème D'Infame and two wine glasses, before walking back over to his desk. He poured the much-sought-after wine first into Nyx's glass, then his own, before taking his seat once again and placing the bottle down, finally relaxing his posture and his mind. "I appreciate it, and of course I extend the same promise to you. Not that I think you need it, of course." The Devaronian chuckled, taking a sip of the wine and smiling. Nyx seemed plenty capable, but it was common courtesy to offer the same protection to her that she offered to him.

"Pry away, I don't mind when you're the one doing it. I don't have any prior history with Malicar personally, but I wasn't wont to trust Black Sun very easily after the last time," he said, laying his other hand on the desk so she could see the fading Black Sun tattoo on his hand more clearly. " 'Suppose I'm concerned about them falling out from underneath my feet again, leaving me high and dry like before. But you seemed to think it was a more prudent decision to join them, and in spite of the probability you have your own intentions insofar unknown to me, I trust your judgement regardless."

Tag: [member="Nyx N1X3"]​

 

[Nyx N1X3]

"Thank you," Nyx replied as she accepted the glass of wine. "Your concern is appreciated regardless. It is difficult to be prepared for every situation at all times. Trustworthy friends and allies are always appreciated." Every word completely true. Even a droid couldn't be ready for everything. Sometimes certain information, tools, or even skills were absent. It could leave one in a bad spot, which only a friend or ally could help overcome. Why her less authentic emotional responses and lack of deep body language might prove a detriment in some situations; there were people that simply hated not being able to read a droid.

The droid sipped the wine as Aurelius graced her with a response about what had just transpired and why he'd been reluctant.

"I would be lying if I suggested I did not have my own intentions," Nyx agreed. "However, from what we have shared so far, they closely align with your own. That was why I suggested you give them a chance and was interested in terms of separation. While I am hesitant to believe it would be so clean, I will be happy to assist in helping you extract yourself from them regardless of the circumstances." There was no moral mandate in her code, but that did not mean Nyx was heartless. Well, she was heartless, but she had designed her own social matrix, which noted those that abandoned friends in need often lacked friends in the end. She would not leave Aurelius unless the circumstances were truly dire -- an effort to undermine the Confederacy as a whole, for example, would be a terrible conflict of interest. "My immediate intent is you are able to utilize their resources to bolster your own standing, and be in a better place long-term."

Tag: [member="Aurelius Baldor"]​

 

[Aurelius Baldor]

Aurelius drank deeply from his glass, before setting it down with a sigh as his smile faded. "I'm not holding my breath for anything. If they renege, I'm leaving before they can screw me again. Simple as that." He moved his other hand from the table to his temple, massaging the base of one of his horns. "Nyx, may I ask a favor of you? This Malicar fellow is a complete unknown to me, and I don't much like that. I would be grateful to find out who I'm getting involved with, I need to know more about him and the company he keeps."

His eyes looked her over for a moment, before continuing. "I'm not entirely sure where you gauge us, but I trust you. If you ever need anything from me, you need only ask. Good friends are hard to come by nowadays." Aurelius wonder silently to himself about Nyx's true allegiance, but thought it best to not ask. Right now, he didn't need to know, as long as they stayed on good terms with each other. He might inquire somewhere down the line, but he felt this was not the time for such questions. With all of his thoughts aired, he brought the wine glass to his lips once again, taking a relieving sip.

 

[Nyx N1X3]

"Of course. Despite his aversion to my construction, I possess the resources necessary to fulfill such a request. I am certain he will have taken precautions, however it is not in my programming to be so easily deterred." Fortunately, this was a favor which Nyx had already chosen to pursue for her own purposes. It would not do well should this all be an elaborate means of eliminating or controlling Aurelius. There was the chance the man might make a better "offer" as well, however the odds of that probability were quite low.

The droid moved around toward Aurelius with the wine glass still in one hand. "We are allies. As such, I am at your disposal as well. I hope you will contact me should you require any of my services."

After a moment of calculation, Nyx set the glass down on the table. "Aurelius," her softly glowing red eyes fell upon the Devaronian, "I should share with you a short summary of my capabilities so that you will know when I may be of service." There was calculated risk in being so forthright. "I am a capable slicer, infiltrator, and pilot. I have learned several forms of combat art, in both close-quarters and armed combat. As I am a self-learning unit, I am capable of learning whatever skill set is necessary to perform a given task. I hope this information will be useful to you."

Tag: Aurelius Baldor​