Private Based on what?

[Lothaire]

(Fabled phone post) Miri Nimdok


Lord Bosnak had accrued quite a fortune for himself over the many years of his career. Spice was an extremely lucrative business, though the risks associated with it had often given the old lord sleepless nights. Dangers aside, the shipments flowed smoothly, and so too did the credits. The exquisite position of his trade station along the main corridor leading from Coruscant to old Sith space had made the venture surprisingly easy. Other spice lords dealt with rival gangs and terrorize wars, Bosnak just had to deal with unions protesting for better wages.

It was for such reasons that the security at his auction was not particularly good. He'd hired a few local thugs and a handful of proper mercenaries, but the general thought was that they would stand about looking intimidating while the proper folk behaved themselves. The bar was open, the band was playing, folk were dancing, and four fights had already broken out. Twice Bosnak's wife had suggested hiring emergency help, and twice had Bosnak told the woman to shut her trap. Half of his people might well have been spice fiends, but they could control themselves damnit!

The festivities had begun just an hour ago and the open bar was seeing plenty of traffic. Soon the auctions would begin, and all that drinking would turn into profits for old Bosnak if things went accordingly.

For his part, Lothaire was busy watching the gentry of the station twirl about in the dance floor. It was an attempt at a proper gala but the band was clearly amateur and the people dancing were either drunk or spun out on spice. The price partook in neither and contented himself with people watching, sipping at the glass of water in his hand as his gaze jumped from one side of the room to the next.

Bosnak was here to sell an artifact sanctioned by the judges. He wasn't entirely certain as to its nature, other than that it was contained in a golden box emblazoned with the insignia of the Sith and supposedly bore some kind of disease. The details were not wholly important, only that he secured it. When the time came he'd either buy it outright or secure it by other means. Whatever was required.

Lothaire finished the last of his drink and crossed the dance floor, emerald gaze darting from one face to the next as he searched for opportunity.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

This wasn’t the sort of party Miri was expecting. The music was played by a live band, but they seemed to be struggling. Most of the guests looked to be intoxicated, and various illegal substances were being passed around like party favors. Then again, she supposed the inebriation of the guests was to her advantage. She wasn’t here just to dance.

Clad in a purple gown, she stood off to the side, peering down into her clutch purse. Partygoers whirled around the dancefloor behind her, laughing too loudly, their eyes too bright. Satisfied with whatever she saw, she closed the bag, holding it in one hand as she walked across the dancefloor.

Hopefully the auction wouldn’t begin for a while yet. She didn’t intend to wait and bid on the artifact. No, she would take it now, while everyone else was distracted…

Her thoughts were so preoccupied with the mission, she failed to notice she was about to bump into a man walking in the opposite direction until it was too late. Their shoulders brushed, and she stiffened instinctively, her grip on her bag tightening.

"Excuse me," she muttered without stopping.

Lothaire​

 

[Lothaire]

Miri Nimdok

Lothaire eyed Lord Bosnak across the dance floor. The old man was busting himself with entertaining a few Nikto businessmen that looked utterly done with the conversation. He'd probably keep doing that up until the auction began, or at least Lothaire could hope as much. Satisfied that the master of the auction wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, Lothaire continued walking - until he walked right into a stranger.

"Sure," Lothaire grunted. He caught a flash of dark eyes and pointed ears as the woman passed by him, his gaze following after her as she left. There was sobriety and purpose in her gaze, far from the dead eyed stares and manic blinks of the other partygoers. Moreover she was pretty, and Lothaire suddenly found himself liking the color purple.

His two brains had different intentions but their goals were mostly in line. That purpose she was moving with might be relevant to the auction, and then there was that other thing. Enough motivation to be a bother.

Lothaire quickly grabbed a glass filled with what was likely some form of alcoholic beverage from one of the serving droids and speed-walked to catch up to the woman.

"Hey again," he cracked a pleasant smile, "I don't mean to be a bother but you look like the only other person with some sense here. Sober birds of a feather should flock together, and I need a bidding partner.” He'd never been good at the cold approach, and he was certainly feeling that now as his hands began to grow clammy. Fortunately he was rather good at adopting the mask of confidence, and his anxieties didn't much show in his features.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

"Hey again."

Dark eyes slid toward the man before Miri turned around to face him. “A bidding partner?” she echoed. “That sounds like it would defeat the purpose of an auction. Unless you planned to somehow split the lots we would win.”

Lothaire​

 

[Lothaire]

Miri Nimdok

She raised a good point, and Lothaire's mind fired for a proper answer. Truth be told it probably wasn't a sound strategy, but then he wanted her attentions do deign what her designs might be, not to actually win the auction.

"The purpose of the auction is not relevant, so much as the defeat of it," Lothaire mused, wholly certain that he sounded incredibly smart. "There's an item up for auction that I need. I imagined from your…lack of spiced addiction that you might be here for similar reasons. Most of the folk here seem only to be present for the drugs." And a myriad of other degenerate luxuries.

"If you bid with me for this particular item it'll discourage-"

The sound of a microphone squealing to life drones over the noise and dropped Lothaire's tongue.

Lord Bosnak sidled up to the center of the room, mic in hand, "Greetings gentlebeings. I hope you're all enjoying our amenities!"

The crowd exploded into cheer. Bosnak reveled in it for a minute or so before holding up a hand for silence. "The main course of our festivities will begin shortly. The viewing gallery is now open - come see what treasures we've gathered for you!"

One of the side walls crunched and clanked as it slid in on ancient hydraulics to review a dim viewing hall. The bidding items were arranged in glass cases illuminated by days of golden light from above. Lothaire eyed ancient lightsaber and terminals supposedly from the age of old republic, and in the midst of them, the golden case emblazoned with the eye of the Sith. The crowd flowed in to the viewing hall, a veritable sea of bodies between the duo and their mutual quarry.

The prince's gaze would slowly drift back to the stranger. "What was it you were particularly interested in?" The youth lofted a brow.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri frowned and crossed her arms over her chest as she listened to Lothaire’s proposition. She felt sure that he was trying to trick her somehow, but at the same time his plan seemed a little too obvious. Perhaps he was just an idiot?

Her attention was temporarily diverted as the curtain was raised and the auction began. “You’re right about me wanting one of the artifacts,” she said, turning back to Lothaire. He hadn’t mentioned which lot he was after, but she suspected they wanted the same thing. Which meant they had a conflict of interests.

Still. He might prove a useful idiot.

“All right. So we split the cost.” She peered up at him from beneath demurely lowered lashes, trying out a theory. “Will you simply take the artifact and run off with it when we win? Just… ‘wham, bam, thank you ma’am’? Or will you stick around for a little while longer?”

Lothaire​

 

[Lothaire]

Whatever strategy the woman was attempting to employ, it was proving to be very effective on Lothaire. The prince's private plans to use the lady in some kind of distraction disappeared as she peered up at him, his ambitions momentarily melting away in those dark eyes of hers.

Suddenly, the prince found himself becoming the fool, a title which he’d dubbed onto others many times in the past. Dutifully earned for his part. To be fair, the dress was probably helping with that a good bit.

"I tend to stick around the port long after the storm's passed," this sounded incredibly smooth to the young Grayson. "I'm after that golden box over there," he gestured toward the object in question. "From what I understand it's fairly dangerous, and I don't think anyone here could be trusted to keep it safely locked away."

Where she might have suspected they had a similar quarry, no such suspicions bubbled in Lothaire's mind. As far as he was concerned, this mission to gain recognition had turned into a bit of an adventure with a lady that had happened to look at him five or six seconds longer than any other woman, and thus would be the pinnacle of his young life.

"What are you here for?" A pause, "I'm Lothaire, by the way."

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

If the boy’s reaction were any indication, her theory was proven correct. He found her attractive, and his relative youth meant that he lacked the maturity to deal with those feelings without losing his head in the process. Miri had zero interest in him, but she also had no qualms against using sex appeal to her advantage if it would improve her chances of achieving her mission.

“How gallant of you,” she said. Her gaze flicked over toward the auction block, quickly landing on a ceremonial sword of some kind. “The purple sword,” she said. “I find it aesthetically pleasing.”

Lothaire. The name rang no bells, though she noted vaguely that it sounded Essonian. “I’m Leia,” she said, giving her middle name rather than her first. “I believe we have some bidding to do, Mr. Lothaire.”

Lothaire​

 

[Lothaire]

His gaze traveled from case to case until he found the sword in question. Her response seemed a rather simple one, and were be thinking logically, would have been a point of suspicion. She didn't have the air about her of someone that came to an event like this just to get something they thought was nice to look at, but then such thoughts were ignored and stuffed away into the corners of his mind. Ever the optimist, Lothaire just accepted it.

"Prettier things here than a sword," he mused, eyes darting back to the woman, "But it's a nice one. We'll help each other get what each of us wants." It all seemed rather simple to the prince.

He lofted a brow at her name. It was pretty popular back toward the core, no doubt due to the virtue of its forebears, but it's uniqueness was…well, not important!

He took a sip from the glass he'd grabbed earlier, his nose scrunching up in immediate reaction to the bitter taste. He quickly turned his head to hide his expression, promptly spilling some of it along the dark part of his suit.

"Shit," he grunted, dusting the spot off as if that would help, "It's a pleasure Leia. Yes, the bidding."

The crowd had evened out during their conversation. Viewing lines quickly dwindled until Bosnak waddled back to the center of the room.

"We will begin bidding! Take your seats!" Much of the hall was cleared as folk sat down on wooden chairs hastily brought forth by various servants.

Lothaire quickly settled into the chair offered his way, waving for 'Leia' to sit down alongside him.

Bosnak began chortling on about the history of some tapestry and an assortment of other relics. Completely disinterested, Lothaire turned his attentions back to his companion. "Your parents fans of the old rebellion?"

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“Leia” smiled at the compliment and took a drink from a passing tray, sipping it delicately. She didn’t seem to mind the bitter taste (or perhaps taking smaller doses of it made it easier to tolerate). She and Lothaire headed over to the bidding area and sat down.

While the man in charge of the auction rambled on about the history of the items, Lothaire tried to make conversation. “I suppose so,” she replied. “My parents were from Alderaan. It’s a very popular name there.” Keeping an eye on the Sith box, she asked, “What about your name? Isn’t Lothaire Essonian?”

Lothaire​

 

[Lothaire]

The young prince cracked a knowing smile.

"Sounds about right," Alderaanian Leia's were a dime a dozen these days. That being said, this one had certainly caught his eye far better than any other. That his interests were not reciprocated was not picked up on at all by Lothaire, though given the act she was playing that more or less made sense. His suspicions were assuaged for the moment, at least.

"You're rather astute. Most folk don't know much of my people this side of the core." That smile grew somewhat, "I'm from Ession. Grew up there after the reclamation. Beautiful place, but it's terribly boring if you can't find your place there."

Lothaire certainly hadn't found his. Not there, or anywhere else. His was the fate of a wanderer, and he was finding the acceptance of such to be a rather bitter pill to swallow.

"I-"

"We'll start our bidding with a very special case!" Bosnak's voice boomed over the intercom. "Here, we have an old Sith carrying case. As you can see, it's emblazoned with their emblem. The case itself is solid gold, and it is said to contain an artifact of great import to their religion. Not sure what exactly it is, but the case itself is more than a prize. Starting bidding at forty-thousand credits."

The prince blinked. That was a helluva lot higher than he'd expected. Almost as much as he'd brought with him.

Shit.

"Well," he grunted as bidders started raising hands and the price quickly jumped to fifty thousand. "Maybe... a different approach is needed."

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“I have an encyclopedic memory,” she said. “And an ear for such things.” It was a vague, cursory explanation for why she knew the name Lothaire was Essonian. “Perhaps it would be a good place to come home to. Boring and familiar. There is a safety in such places.”

As the auction began with the coveted Sith case, her slanting eyebrows shot up at the starting bid. It was already quite high, and would soon be outside of her range.

Lothaire seemed to be suffering from a similar problem. Turning her head to face him, she leaned forward conspiratorially. There was a faint shimmer of lavender pigment brushed over her eyelids, visible only up close.

“What do you have in mind?” she asked quietly. "It's not as if we can simply take it. Its position is secure here on the auction block, and by the time it arrives in the possession of its new owner, it'll be quite beyond our reach." But while the case was changing hands, perhaps they might find an opportunity to seize it.

Lothaire​

 

[Lothaire]

The icy heat of adrenaline thundered through his veins as his anticipation began to build. His heart began to beat in tandem with the racing of his thoughts, and as the bidding price rose into the hundreds of thousands, grim resignation set in for the young prince. They weren't getting the case by any fair means now; it'd either have to be a scheme or violence, likely both.

"Safety's not particularly what I'm looking for," Lothaire mumbled, his gaze darting to Leia once more. He caught the flash of color over her eyes, once again found himself momentarily mesmerized, and quickly found the sensation fading away as the reality of the situation began to set in.

"I'm not leaving here without that case," he said, more to himself than his companion. Righteous indignation intermingled with absolute certainty in his tone. "You're right though, we can't just snatch it as things are, and you need that sword." Sounded like she was keen on trying for it anyway. Didn't seem like she was going to give up just because the price was a little high.

Lothaire took a glance around the room. He noted six guards arrayed at different ends, as well as two security droids lingering on either side of the viewing cases. They were all armed with rifles, the droids with particularly heavier armament, though they had the bearing of common thugs. Easily confused then.

Of his armaments, Lothaire carried only a holdout pistol and his datapad with all its myriad assortments. Good enough. "Those droids look pretty archaic. I can probably get into one of them at least, send it haywire, cause some chaos. We'd need something else too though."

As to what that might be, Lothaire was having some trouble.

"You all in?" A pause, his serious demeanor wavering for but a moment, "I like the purple eye stuff by the way. Nice color."

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri nodded. She had actually forgotten about the sword she’d claimed she wanted, but acknowledged it now. More to plunder.

Lothaire suggested messing with one of the security droids. Miri glanced toward the guards. “I’m no good with droids, but I can create an incentive to leave for the organic members of security,” she said.

“I am indeed, ‘all in’.” When he complimented her eyeshadow, she winked one eye. “Thank you.”

Turning toward the two guards closest to the droids, she stared at them intently, exerting the Force upon their minds. After a few seconds, they each left their posts, going home to rethink their lives.

Miri sighed, rubbing her temples. "That's the best I can do. Now you go take care of the droid."

Lothaire​

 

[Lothaire]

(El phone post)

"Incentivize away," he murmured, curious as to what her plan might be. He pulled his data pad from its place on his belt and quickly cycled through its modules. He lacked means beyond what the Ashla had given to him, but the modules might serve to level the playing field a good bit.

It was simple enough to tune into the comm frequency the droids were using. Simpler still to jump from that frequency to the droid brain itself, a myriad of options raining down his screen in blue columns.

He glanced back to Miri, and couldn't help but crack a wide smile as she confirmed her commitment. Seemed he'd found a kindred spirit in this endeavor beyond all the other reasons he'd approached her.

She winked at him, and that adrenaline thundered through his veins once again. The whole endeavor took on an entirely different aspect.

He'd come here to impress his benefactors and his father; now he just wanted to impress her.

That newfound motivation burned away any inhibitions about what was to happen next - it even allowed him to dismiss the immediate red flag that came with the guards seemingly leaving of their own accord.

How'd she manage that? Manipulating implants in their heads? Maybe she was some kind of sorceress? Lothaire found himself not really caring one way or another, much to his own surprise.

Just wrapped up in the little adventure of it all.

"Your best is pretty good," he mumbled as he scrolled through the different commands on his data pad. The prince clicked his tongue as he found what he was looking for. "Gonna bug em. Fucking up their targeting sequence, should cause a ruckus without hurting folks." Thumb pressed on the action button, and sparks flew from each of the droid's bulbous headpieces.

The Sith chest was just being removed from its viewing glass as the chaos began. One of the droids began emitting a high pitch squealing noise, and began randomly slamming into the walls. When it was finished with the walls, it began to bowl right through several of the cases, a rain of glass and expensive debris flying across the room. Folk were jumping and screaming, the four guards that remained were rushing to figure out what was going on, and Lord Bosnak found himself laying flat on the floor as he caught a robotic limb to the face. Blood dribbled freely from his nose as he moaned in pain, the Sith chest tumbling several feet away between the feet of the crowd.

The second droid was not so agreeable. It simply remained inert for a time, watching as its brethren lost control. The plasma rifles in each of its robotic arms whirred quietly as they warmed.

For Lothaire's part, he was shoving his way through the panicked crowd, eyes set on the case that glittered at him from the other side of the room. He assumed 'Leia' would get it if he couldn't at the least.

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Recovering from the strain of using her telepathic abilities, Miri did her best to pay attention to what was happening around her. Lothaire’s meddling made short work of one of the droids; its malfunctioning created chaos and destruction. The bidders fled the auction, glass display cases were broken, and the man putting on the show was knocked to the floor, bleeding from the nose.

Miri jumped into action, moving against the current of bodies toward the auction block. Unlike Lothaire, who seemed content to barrel through the crowd and seize the chest, she was unwilling to take a chance that someone shot her down while she was walking out with the treasure. She pulled a small concealed blaster from her clutch purse and fired it at the remaining droid. The weapon was not high-powered, however, and the droid’s hard durasteel shell was merely dented by the bolt. It turned its rifles upon her, firing bolts of plasma.

She narrowly evaded the blasts. One shot singed her bare shoulder, creating a painful blister. From cover behind a knocked over table, she fired again, and this time she punctured the droid’s outer plating. Circuitry sparked and the wound leaked oil.

Now. She rushed out, seized the sword, and ran after Lothaire.

Lothaire​

 

[Lothaire]

It was a sensation unlike any other.

Blood thundered loudly through his veins. His own pulse thumped over the sound of laser fire and the screams of panicked people, beads of sweat running down his brow as he elbowed his way through the mass. He heard a crunch as he smashed in a Nikto's nose, a shock of pain as the alien jabbed him hard in the ribs. His stony visage split in a savage grin as the blow sent another rush through him, another wave of adrenaline drenching him in violent euphoria.

Lothaire snatched the Nikto up by his collar and headbutted him hard. The alien squelched on impact, his eyes staring blankly as he crashed to the ground, consciousness leaving him the moment his back hit the floor. Then came the second fist, bony and hard to the back of Lothaire's head. His eyes were saucers as he fell forward, just barely catching himself with both hands as a hard kick went right for his ribs.

"SHIT!" Lothaire roared above the chaos as the kick connected. Shockwaves of pain intermingled with his combat high, sending him reeling on the floor as he registered the loud 'crack' of one of his ribs giving in. Then came another kick, and another. Lothaire was a mass of flailing limbs as he took another hit to the back, then a hard boot to the head, kicking up stars in his eyes and the fuzzy haze of disorientation at the corner of his vision. Another kick to the head: Lothaire reacted this time. He caught the boot in both hands and tugged hard, dragging one of attackers down to the floor with him.

He was on the Nikto, hand wrapping about the alien's throat, when one the spice fiend's comrades tackled him, pinning the prince to the floor with a pair of scaly hands around his own throat now. Panic set in immediately as Lothaire struggled for the slightest bit of air, his face reddening as the blood began to pool. His would-be-murdered sneered at him through a maw of sharp teeth, laughter bubbling through its reptilian lips.

Furious. Lothaire slammed his balled fist as hard as he could into the Nikto's skull. The alien went tumbling to the side, long enough for Lothaire to scramble to his feet amidst the sea of stomping boots. Several other brawls had broken out among the patrons, some of the guards even firing weapons into the crowd. Lothaire didn't know if they were stun rounds or not, but he wasn't going to chance it.

"Not gonna flatline me nerf herder," he snarled at his opponent who was still caressing its head on the floor. Not interested in continuing the contest, Lothaire shouldered and shoved his way through the mass, until he caught site of Snivvian sauntering around the edges of the chaos with the golden case in hand.

He caught the purple of Miri Nimdok's dress as she made her way toward him, sword in hand. "Schutta's got my case!" The prince snapped, the terrible pain of what was likely a cracked rib making itself known now. Lothaire sputtered a dozen curses as he fumbled around in his belt for a stim, hastily popping the cap and shoving the needle directly into his veins. The stim rushed through his system, providing momentary relief from the pain and a roaring sensation with it, as if he had all the power in the world and anything was within his grasp.

"He ain't keeping it!" Lothaire broke out into a dead sprint, catching the Snivvian just as the alien reached the doors. Lothaire tackled the little creature to the ground in a mess of limbs, the case clattering across the floor a few feet away.

The alien squealed at him its native tongue, Lothaire just ignored the thing, righting himself to snatch the case that had just so happened to clatter right at Leia's feet.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

By some miracle, as Miri was heading through the dwindling crowds, the gold case happened to wind up directly in her path. She stopped, narrowly avoiding tripping over it in her haste.

Before she could take it, one of the guards, a blue Twi'lek with a scarred and snarling face, approached her with weapons drawn. Miri froze, raising her hands in the air as if in surrender.

Right before she kicked the case forward, sending it crashing into the knees of the guard. The Twi'lek tumbled forward onto the floor while she quickly disarmed him, seizing his weapons for herself.

Lothaire, she knew, would be coming for the chest. So without sparing him another word, she set her new blaster to stun, took aim at the Essonian, and fired.

Lothaire​

 

[Lothaire]

The storm in his veins relented as he caught the glint of the case clattering through the din. He caught the sweeping ends of a purple dress and halted the charge he'd been preparing. For a moment amidst the chaos, Lothaire found a second of peace, and the brief euphoria of victory.

He was cracking a wide grin at her just as she turned the weapon his way. Triumph bled away to at first confusion, then shock as Miri discharged the blaster right into his chest.

Lothaire could not even yell in protest as his muscles seized and his body collapsed to the floor. The edges of his vision grew hazy and dark, internal warning messages about his heart rate flashing across the top of his vision in bright crimson until the monitoring system overloaded entirely. It was a terribly unpleasant intermingling of sensation: the pulse of the stun round locked his body into place, just as the drugs from the stim were filling his muscles with energy and yelling at his brain to move.

He couldn't move, locked there in silent agony as his heart threatened to burst from his chest. He locked eyes with Miri a last time, all the fury of his seizing body aimed at the girl.

She'd screwed him. Made him the fool once again. Flashed those pretty eyes and -!!!

The prince's body shook as it he regained a bare semblance of control. The twitch of a finger, half-closing of an eye. His mouth began to foam as he struggled against the failings of his body, stomping feet and blaster fire echoing all around him. A bit of hope.

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri didn’t expect Lothaire to suffer a seizure upon being struck by the stun bolt. As he began foaming at the mouth, she was left temporarily paralyzed by indecision—should she just leave, or try to help him? She wasn’t sure what was happening. What if he died? He didn’t deserve that.

This is why comms were invented, she reminded herself. Call for help anonymously, and get the hell out of here in the meantime.

There would be unanswered questions left for the authorities to investigate, but she knew how to cover her tracks. She summoned a medical droid to the scene even as she made a hasty getaway with the golden chest in tow.

Lothaire​