Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Bogan's Beauty [Open]

| [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] |

Darth Ayra stood outside the Initium, upon the world of Eclipsticia, far more knowledgeable than she had been a few hours ago. The confrontation with Romeo Sin on board the Ryuk had revealed several things to the Dark Lord of the Sith. As they had suspected when the two had met outside the Cortosis mine upon Obredaan, Mara and Ayra had been correct in their assumptions that Sin was once again rebuilding, but for who or what remained unknown to them. That he still retained some resources- having a Star Destroyer at your disposal was significant- and he had some allies. Whoever it was that Darth Ayra had sensed when she had boarded the Ryuk also remained a mystery, but she assumed that by the end of her search, she would know a lot more about Romeo and his machinations.

In the distance laid the smoking crater of a very unfamiliar starfighter that had been stolen from the Ryuk and used to land on Eclipsticia, causing a few minor injuries for Darth Ayra to deal with. Piloting the unfamiliar craft had presented problems, ultimately leading to the crash landing. Before she had been destroyed in the crash, however, Darth Ayra had jettisoned the canopy that had surrounded her and leaped out of the cockpit with the aide of the Force. Her ankles and feet still stung from the rough landing, but they would recover in the next day or two.

When she had landed, she had made her way to the top of a nearby hill and called for the Initium to return to it's Master via it's auto-pilot and the transponder signal Darth Ayra carried with her. Upon landing, the Dark Lord had ate and drank from her rations, then she transmitted a coded message to the Bullet Time. All that the message read was a set of co-ordinates, telling the position in which the Dark Lord of the Sith was now waiting, and if Darth Ayra had read the girl well, then she knew that Mara would deduce that it was she who had sent the co-ordinates. After all, Mara was gifted with the Force, and combined with her powers, who else in this quadrant of space would know how to transmit such a message, from the same world they had ventured to in the first place?

Legs resting on the landing ramp that led up into the Initium, Darth Ayra sat in between the ships shuttle bay doors, eyes watching the sky. She was fixated on finding the Bogan's Beauty and subsequently found herself fixated on waiting for the Bullet Time to emerge from the skies.
 
[member="Darth Ayra"] would be disappointed: the Bullet Time didn't emerge from the skies. It didn't appear at all, because right now, the little runner was in a crevice and covered in sensor-nulling camouflage netting. Eclipstica was mostly an empty world, all things considered. Even so, she'd been careful on her ingress route, and in her route from there to here. She'd taken the time to rest, too. She'd pulled a Reverse Dameron over this planet, and tracked a ship through hyperspace. Now, though, she felt much better, even under the weight of her beskar-weave trenchcoat. Her spearbutt thudded in the dirt, the weapon serving as a walking stick, as she crested a ridge and looked down on the Initium. From here, she could just see the bottom edge of the boarding ramp. She circled around and descended until she could see Ayra, and vice versa. No point in making a Sith Lord think Mara was sneaking up on her. She tossed a half-mocking wave to Ayra and approached, spearbutt marking time with her steps. Once more unto the breach.

"I felt you vanish like you were dead," she said, apropos of nothing. "Qey'tek or Art of the Small?"
 
| [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] |

Hearing someone approach, Darth Ayra instantly drew her Lightsaber. Quietly scolding herself, the Dark Lord struggled to her feet. I should have sensed something, she thought, waiting for who or whatever it was that was making their way towards her. I am more tired than I previously thought. Stretching out with her powers, Darth Ayra lowered her arm- formerly tensed and ready to attack- back down to her side, when she felt it was Mara.

Clipping her weapon onto her utility belt, Darth Ayra watched her as she finished climbing down from the ridge and down towards her. "What?" she replied, not recognizing the word or the term Mara spoke, genuinely unaware of what the Qey'tek or Art of the Small was.
 
[member="Darth Ayra"]

Brought up in a ship whose underseat compartments held the greatest holocrons in history, Mara blinked. "Qey'tek meditation -- the old Sith-then-Jedi technique for hiding your Force presence. Art of the Small -- compressing your mind to alter matter at a microscopic or molecular level; side effect: your Force presence vanishes. If you don't know either one, that pretty much leaves taozin or White Current, and you don't feel fuzzy to me. Nothing about your ship does."

She drew to a halt about three metres from the Sith Lord, eyeing the unlit sabre.

"You're a fething Fallanassi. Well how 'bout that. Sure offers an alternate explanation for you surviving Sin's ship." She smiled without humour. "The leading contender was the idea that you'd cut a deal with that twit. I assume that was Romeo Sin's Star Destroyer after all?"
 
"Romeo Sin still lives? I watched him die." Speaking of Art of the Small. After [member="Darth Ayra"] had met with [member="Darth Ophidia"] upon Coruscant, Ferus had gotten onto her ship, and kept to the shadows simply to watch. At the mention of a man he had personally watched die, curiosity simply became too much for this Shade to remain silent. stepping out into the light, he cast a quick glance to [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] . Another who seemed to hate the Sins. Good.

"I'd very much like to kill him, if you wouldn't mind Dark Lord."
 
| [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] | [member="Darth Ferus"] |

Edit: Didn't know you posted Ferus. Let me edit something in to accommodate you.

"Yes. It was." Darth Ayra was well practiced in hiding her thoughts. Her mannerisms, the way she spoke and general behavior made it difficult for others to truly read what she thinking. At that moment, she was surprised by the level of deduction shown by the younger woman that stood before her. She was briefly reminded of another woman- a Crime Lord from Antecedent- who had made a similar level of analysis which in turn revealed something that Darth Ayra hadn't previously revealed.

Cataloging the words and terms Mara used to describe these powers, perhaps to be researched at a later time, Darth Ayra climbed down the ramp and onto level ground. "I offered him a deal. I said that if he gave me the location of the Bogan's Beauty, I would spare him and his people. That if he were to allow both of us to board the ship alone, without interruption from either him or his cronies, then he could consider me a long term ally. I was being genuine in my offer as well. I'm not in the business of making enemies. But he refused and decided to attack first. As far he is concerned, I'm dead."

Quietly, however, Darth Ayra knew that wasn't going to remain the case for long. The last time she had been on Antecedent, she had sensed Romeo on the planet. It didn't take much for her to read into the lines. If Romeo had ties to the Black Tie Syndicate, then after their incident on board the Ryuk, then it wouldn't take long until the Crime Lords she held in esteem would learn of it too.

"This search of ours is creating some serious repercussions on my side. However, not everything is lost." Gesturing to the Initium, Darth Ayra said: "I have the location of the Bogan's Beauty stored on board my ship. I could have left Eclipsticia without sending word to you, but you have something that I want Mara." Lowering her hand, Darth Ayra said: "I want access to the archive left behind by your Aunt."

Falling silent, Darth Ayra felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as a voice spoke up from behind. Turning her head around, Ayra locked eyes with Darth Ferus as he revealed himself. How? How is he here? When? ... How? As the thoughts of the Dark Lord whirled, Darth Ayra said: "You were on my ship this entire time?"
 
[member="Darth Ferus"] [member="Darth Ayra"]

Ayra was good, dang good, at hiding her true feelings and intentions. Even Mara, a half-Zeltron empath raised by a Lorrdian, couldn't say for sure whether Ayra was telling the truth. But it fit.

Another probable Sith emerged from the Initium, a man who literally dwarfed Mara's petite frame. As Ayra's words to him sank in, Mara took half a step back. She and Ayra had an arrangement based on a sort of mutually assured destruction; Mara had no such arrangement with the newcomer.

"I could understand why you want Rave's archive," she said to Ayra. "That's not something I can grant right now, and there's a reason: I haven't finished going through the archive. There's a very good chance that my family's secrets are in there somewhere, in whole or in part. But I seriously doubt you'd accept a promise in lieu of the actual archives. I'm pondering counteroffers here. For example, if you give me a general idea of what you're after, I can sweep and vet a relevant segment of the archives for you."
 
"Indeed I was. All I really need to survive is a bit of whiskey, and I keep my own stash on me at all times." Ferus was quick to answer [member="Darth Ayra"] , though his attention did turn to [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] at the mention of Rave's archive. There was only one Rave that the Darth could think would have an archive to begin with. Rave Merrill, the Alchemist. Now would be the time to listen, well. If not for the step back from the smaller woman. Glowing red eyes glanced Mara over head to toe. Was she afraid? Probably not. She seemed wise enough not to be intimidated by a nameless person.

"I won't harm you, madam. I've no desire to hurt anyone but Romeo Sin. He had the largest price on his head with my organization. While the price is gone, I can't let a dead man walk. Bad for the reputation."
 
| [member="Darth Ferus"] | [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] |

The ability to compartmentalize was another thing that Darth Ayra practiced. As she kept her thoughts to herself, keeping her secrets guarded, she had different sections to her business, of which one and the other are unaware of the link that they shared. Rave had blurred the lines between Darth Ayra and her seminal life. Now, Darth Ferus had done the same between her business with the Sith Assassins and the search she shared with Mara Merrill. Combined with the business on board the Ryuk and suffice to say that Darth Ayra was disappointed with the recent turn of events, more so with herself than anyone or anything else.

"I will deal with this," Darth Ayra said to Mara, keeping her stoic gaze and tone relaxed. She would control Ferus' unannounced and sudden entrance to their business with Romeo Sin, before either one or the other learned too much about the respective business they shared with the Dark Lord of the Sith. "I didn't know he was on my ship. Return to yours and we will continue our discussion when I am finished."

Turning her back to Mara, Ayra fixed her eyes on Ferus' own. They had much to discuss.
 
[member="Darth Ferus"][member="Darth Ayra"]

At Ferus' disclaimer, Mara nodded once in acknowledgement. Ayra's dismissal irritated her, but also piqued her curiosity. Alas, even if she'd owned remote listening gear, that or Theran Force-listening could perhaps be detected. She had no doubt that Ayra wouldn't respond well to eavesdropping.

She backed up her next few steps, and only then did she turn to leave. "All right," she said, feeling eyes between her shoulder blades like a sniper dot. "Call me."
 
There were many things Ferus wanted to do as [member="Darth Ayra"] dismissed her current companion. Namely, make a snide remark about privacy or something similar. But he didn't. Instead, he watched [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] leave. Though the Dark Lord turned to face him, his red eyes remained on the once rebel to make sure she had left. Of course, with his sudden and unwelcome appearance for a powerful Sith Lord trying to stay hidden, he could have sealed his fate.

But part of him felt that wasn't the case.

The red gaze returned back to the woman before him, narrowed. "Before we continue any farther, I am not the Darth Ferus you know. The First is dead. I am the Second. Took his name after I took his freedom. If you think I owe you anything, I do not. If you think there is any connection between us, there is none. If you think you and your friend there are not in any danger, you would be wrong. Out of pure curiosity I have not killed you while you slept. Be sure that I don't think twice on this."

No more messing around. There was so much this Assassin could have done in his time hiding out on her ship, and who was to say he was alone? The uncertainty would be his truest ally here in the middle of what could be hostile territory.
 
| [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] | [member="Darth Ferus"] |

Folding her arms across her chest, Darth Ayra listened to the assassin as he spoke. She learned much in the short monologue. That the Sith Lord that had taught her Lightsaber combat- the same man she had revived from death alongside Darth Pandeima- was now dead. That the connection Ayra thought she could exploit in her old mentor had been killed by the same individual that stood before her, assuming this Ferus was responsible for the death of the first.

Before she replied to Ferus, Darth Ayra activated her Personal Signal Jammer, well aware that Mara was well and truly capable of finding a way to listen into this conversation. If her diatribe about Quey'tek and the Art of Small was anything to judge off, then it was possible that Mara also had techniques in the Force that allowed her to hear from great distances. At the very least, she would not be eavesdropping via the technological route.

"You keep what you kill," Darth Ayra replied, a true believer in the ways of the Sith. The ancient ways, long forgotten by most, taught this. Everything that Pandeima had held now belonged to her. Well, mostly everything. "Do not take me a fool nor do I assume that you are one either. I am well aware that there are many ways to kill another without a drawn out lightsaber duel or utilizing a technique granted from the power of the dark side."

"But you are correct in your assumption that I reached out to you on the basis that I would use the connection I shared with the old Zabrak. Your predecessor was most useful to me in a time when I was essentially neglected in my study of the dark side. But that neglect was paid for long ago with the death of Circe Savan, or as I knew her as Darth Pandeima, for I was the one responsible for her death."

"Now that I am aware that you are someone new- someone I have not dealt with before- I will not attempt to coerce and manipulate you through some arbitrary construct, such as a relationship shared between mentor and student. I will speak plainly. My objectives are to destroy the Jedi Order. To achieve this I will require a powerbase, made up of varying individuals, organizations and talents who are ready to work together to achieve this goal."

"To expect the Sith to be unified together in a common goal is a destructive fallacy I do not deal in. I do not expect you to work for me or to work alongside me. I am not even going to bother demanding such a thing from you. Instead, I will suggest that you target the Jedi as well. The nuances of this suggestion will suggest that we are working together or that you work for me, but we both know this to be a lie because we are Sith. Whilst I do not deal in futility either, I invite you to join the powerbase that I have already grown. Bring with you the Sith Assassins and together we will fulfill the promise of the Sith and destroy the Jedi."

Falling silent, Darth Ayra listened intently to Ferus' response.
 
The dark and brooding gaze that had been given to [member="Darth Ayra"] faded by the end of her speech. What replaced it was what could only be described as a happiness in the eyes of the Sith Lord. "I find those terms quite agreeable. You are free to use the Assassins to eliminate targets you may come across. It wouldn't be hard to explain their deaths, nor would we have to in the first place. There is only one rule. You do not investigate who we are. We will kill your targets, but you will not know who killed them. In exchange, we won't investigate why you wanted them dead, or any connection they had to you. It will be a face value trade. Of course, the actual killing will cost something. We accept credits, cash, gold, what have you; as well as technology. Naturally, don't bug any tech you'd give us and we won't have to become enemies."

There was a quick press of a button on Ferus's wrist, followed by a beep. "I'm calling in my shuttle. When the time comes for the Sith to fight among one another, know that the Assassins are not shy to playing multiple sides. Or simply following the side that is worth it. Prove yourself the future of the Sith, and my people will become your people. Obedient, loyal, and the sharpest knife you will ever need. I'll leave you to your other discussions. And if you want Sin dead, simply give me his location and I'll have my assassins deal with him. Free of charge."

A hint of a smile still remained on that hooded face of the Assassin. Ayra had proven to be quite agreeable, and hopefully this would be a good way to set the Assassins up for the future. "One last thing. Another Ferus is on the rise. Soon, he will be taking my name and my mantle, as well as the Assassins. He is an honorable man, and I will make sure he knows of this deal before I, too, follow in the footsteps of every Sith Lord in history. It was a pleasure meeting you."
 
| [member="Darth Ferus"] | [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] |

Darth Ayra did not comment on the last bit. She would never allow another to succeed her in the dichotomy she shared with her own Sith Apprentice. If she was to be succeeded, it would be done in a manner in which her successor proved that they were far stronger, more powerful and possessed intelligence and cunning that well surpassed her own. Regardless of her views, she would not comment on the manner in which Ferus the Second planned to be succeeded, even if it invited the possibility that he had already been defeated by his successor, if any defeat was set to come about at all.

Instead, the Dark Lord focused on her business, inherently selfish and ultimately uncaring for Darth Ferus and his linage. She said: "Romeo Sin uses a Star Destroyer called the Ryuk. I do not know it's classification. It was alien, at least to me, in design. New technology. From what I know, he is starting up again. I do not know if he plans another attempt at building an Empire and claiming to be Emperor of it, but he is certainly amassing followers and allies. The last time I saw him was on this planet."

Gesturing to their surroundings, indicating that she was speaking about Eclipsticia, Darth Ayra said: "If we have reached an agreement, then I have already decided my first target. The Galactic Alliance finds itself only a sector or two away from the First Order. Whilst their respective space isn't necessarily close enough for territorial disputes, I wish to begin hostilities between their respective factions."

"The Knights of Ren makeup the First Order's Force-sensitive organisation. From what I have heard, they act in the same capacity to what the Jedi do for the Galactic Alliance or Galactic Republic. Frame them for an attack on the Jedi, in any manner you see fit, so long as the Knights of Ren- and by extension, the First Order- are indicated in the crime."

Without another word, Darth Ayra climbed into the Initium, leaving Ferus with all the information she had on Romeo Sin and the target that she wished him- or his successor- to attack. Switching over her personalized signal jammer, the Dark Lord brought up the ships comlink and patched herself into the Bullet Time. "He is gone."
 
[member="Darth Ayra"] [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

Now far gone, and knowing now that a ship had been removed from his hangar in the Ryuk, Romeo had lost interest in the Sith Lord. Whatever they wanted, it was all gone. Now, he would leave the place to come back later when it was safer, and begin a new...plan. The Ryuk jumped once more to some unknown place even further than before.
 
[member="Darth Ayra"]



Darth Ayra said:
the Dark Lord brought up the ships comlink and patched herself into the Bullet Time. "He is gone."

The Bullet Time hovered not far away -- a few klicks, no more. At the helm was an Asahian navigator of the Underground, and a half-Valkyri had comms.

"Transmission for you from your friend, Captain."

"Thanks, Styr. Put it through to my headset." Mara was still adjusting her speeder in the ship's tiny hangar bay. She paused as the earbud crackled; it replayed Ayra's transmission.

"Good to know, Ayra," she said, making her way through the narrow passages to the little ship's bridge/cockpit. "I'm airborn now. I think we need to regroup and consult our own sources before we try again. We need to come at this from another angle. Agreed?"
 
| [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] |

Darth Ayra lifted her eyes to the ceiling, a pang of annoyance mixed with frustration coming to the fore. She made no effort to disguise either when she replied: "I could have dealt with Sin, when I boarded his destroyer and be half way to finding the Bogan's Beauty by now. But I decided that I would have more success with maintaining my partnership with you, rather than betraying you and siding with Sin. I want to know why you are suddenly abandoning me and who these sources of yours are."
 
[member="Darth Ayra"]

"I'm giving myself some distance from you because I showed up at your ship and found myself outnumbered two to one. I don't care whether or not that was something you chose, or could have prevented. What matters is that association with you just made me more likely to encounter other Sith, and not on my terms. When I meet with you, I expect secrecy and security. Those were your terms as much as they were mine. I'm open to meeting again, but it'll be me that chooses the venue next time.

"As for my sources -- Ayra, I own stock in Silk, Arakyd, Akure, and Iron Crown. I sit on boards of directors with people even more secretive and powerful than you. One or two of them owe me a favor. One or two others would like me to owe them a favor. I've already got a couple of ideas, new ideas on how to track the contents of my aunt's vault ship. If they pan out, I'll let you know."
 
| [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] |

Silent, Darth Ayra allowed the connection to hum quietly for another minute before severing the connection between the Initium and the Bullet Time. She wouldn't allow Mara the satisfaction of holding some metaphorical noose over her neck any longer. The girl was aware of the consequences that would be enacted should she betray their fledgling alliance, especially given the fact that the Sith had been given the opportunity to betray her and subsequently choose not to.

It remained to be seen if the decision she made on board the Ryuk had been the right one. Ferus' unannounced revelation might have proven costly. Alas, remaining on Eclipsticia was pointless now. Taking off, the Dark Lord flew the ship out of the planet and into space, before slipping into hyperspace on course for the Home.
 

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