Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Bypassing the Middle Man

Valik

Professor of Alchemy
Valik had recently aided the old Whiphid Velok in raiding the Jedi Archives on Tython, and after that he aided in the replicating and distributing of holocrons for the man's nefarious means. Surprisingly however, Velok did not survive the Auction. He had some grand plan construed to lure out the Supreme Chancellor and attempt to kill her, which he was unsuccessful at and ended up dying, apparently permanently. Odd, as Valik had never thought death would be able to hold Velok permanantly, but one had to be prepared for all manner of things. Thus Velok told Valik where the Lord Dissero was located, a planet filled with strong warriors and assassins. Good place to hide in honesty, though he wondered if the warthog had shown some sort of similar treatment to Dissero, at least letting him know he was coming.

In any case, the two of them would have to discuss how to divide the odd sets of payments Velok had acquired, as well as what to do with the rest of the cache of holocrons from both sides of the equation. In any case, he landed on the planet and sent out a signal to the planet, telling the Keeper that the Alchemist had come, and was ready to talk. He'd not search the man out, instead waiting for him to contact Valik, whether through finding him or sending him a message in return. They'd have plenty of time to discuss things, and he preferred it be done on peaceful terms.

@[member="Lord Dissero"]
 
It just so happened that the young Archivist had, indeed, been told of Master Valik's aid in their ventures of knowledge. Velok had been thorough enough in maintaining privacy between the two, and aside from the necessary information little else had been shared. Now in the wake of Velok's passing it seemed that some lines of secrecy would need to be crossed.

Dissero had to admit, he was a little worried about trusting the Alchemist as much as he had Velok. The old Whiphid had severed ties to the Empire and the pair of them shared that solidarity together. They had roamed the stars, fleeing the angry stare of the Sith to find their safe haven deep in unclaimed space. Now here, a man who presently served the Empire, had somewhat suddenly come into the picture to aid in the distribution of knowledge and history. Dissero didn't know his motives or if they shared the same goals, which made this much more difficult. With the dissemination of chaos now officially commenced it was time to get over paranoia and start seeking out a new business partner.

WHACK.

The Archivist was seeing stars, staring up from the ground where a smartly placed roundhouse kick to his head had landed him.

"What are you, five? Stop playing with your toys and pay attention."

"Wait a moment-" he said from the floor, eyes bulging as he looked up just in time to see several throwing daggers flying his direction. He rolled to the side just as they sank into the wooden floor beneath him.

"Wait? Wait? Half the galaxy wants your hide and you want me to wait? Your enemy is furious, they will not wait. Not even for a second." The words left the Elder Noghri's mouth on a hiss as several Noghri Assassins closed in on him from different areas of the training hall.

On his feet again, Dissero ducked behind a stone pillar and pulled his comm from his pocket once more, attempting to key in a response to the Alchemist.

SHHHHHNK.SHNK.

Two poison-tipped arrows sank into the floor inches from his feet. He scurried the opposite direction, towards a weapons bunker and narrowly ducked away from a spear swung at his head. This Noghri slid around the corner and came after him with three deadly strikes. Dissero weaved, backpeddled and with a hand far too quick for the human eye to see grabbed the body of the spear. With a strong jerk the Noghri buckled into a knee to the abdomen and toppled backwards. A quick throw sent the spear flying into the rafters.

Sending coordinates. Welcome to Honoghr. Watch your step.

Sent. WHACK. He watched the comm go flying through the air. Dissero gave his smarted hand a light shake, dodging a second clawed fist to the head as Mahet, his personal Noghri Guard since the day he was born, stepped out of the weapons bunker with a sparring blade. The old Guard immediately drove into the offensive, the dagger cutting at vital areas with great skill and finesse.

"Pay attention!" he barked.
"I am paying attention!" Dissero returned, a smug grin pulling at one side of his face, "you break it you bought it."

That probably was not the best choice of words, but then again he always had enjoyed goading the old Noghri on.
 

Valik

Professor of Alchemy
Valik received a message with some coordinates, then attempted to send a message saying when he'd arrive, but it seems it wouldn't go through. Odd, the message he had received came easily enough. Perhaps the Archivist had turned off his commlink after sending the response. That likely meant the coordinates he sent weren't his own, and that he was leading Valik into a trap, or at least a test. Valik would have to remain aware in that case, although in the back of his head he supposed the Archivist could merely be having technical difficulties, or even be under attack, but Valik has always behooved himself to plan for the more dangerous of situations.

So, he ventured on keeping his senses in the Force ever aware, detecting several men around him, though his eyes and ears did not keep the pace. The locals, these 'noghri' seemed to be uite the sneaky sort, perhaps they'd be useful as assassins, or even as boy guards. That might have explained why the Archivist came here in the first place. With a potential of skilled, albeit primitive assassins in one's midst and a few good notions to make friendly with the populace it could be quite the protecting place.

Interestingly enough, though constantly followed he felt, he was never attacked on the way to coordinates transmitted. They could have recognized his potential in the Force by his walk and confidence, or they could have been told to hold back by Dissero, or perhaps they were merely waiting for the right moment to strike, but in any case his walk over went uninterrupted. As he finally reached the coordinates given to him he kept himself aware, and felt the environment around him, waiting for the Archivist to show himself, or at least for something exciting to happen.

@[member="Lord Dissero"]
 
Valik found himself standing at the X of two meeting footpaths. One direction lead him back whence he came, the second deeper into the wooded hall, the third along a gradually rising cobbled path, and the fourth towards an open ridge. It was from this last that the sounds of sparring echoed.

Dissero and his quarry had made way out into the open, sharing blows along the crest of the ridge against a backdrop of the blue-green honoghran sky. The Archivist had in his hands a spear with which he worked a Warriors routine against three adversaries. Perhaps, as a bystander who did not understand the details of the Shamalain family history regarding Honoghr, it might look as though the man was in a spot of trouble.

"Master Valik!" came Dissero's call as he dodged a glancing strike of dangerously sharp blade, "I was worried you'd gotten lost," FWISSH he ducked an oncoming javelin thrown from behind and turned to uproot the thrower with a trick of the Force, "I'll just be a moment!"

@[member="Valik"]
 

Valik

Professor of Alchemy
It was not long before Valik found himself at a crossroads, and with his cautious and observant demeanor it did not take long for him to notice the presence of another Force user in the thus far force-less sea of life. Velok had not taken the liberty of describing the physical build of the man referred to as the Archivist, so he was a bit surprised to see the man was quite a bit more athletic than he had anticipated. Between the battered body of the old whiphid, the cancer-strucken conqueror of worlds, and the skinny scientist himself Valik hadn't seen a Sith with such a pursuit of knowledge that maintained such physical training.

It was impressive, in it's own way, though Valik was too paranoid to notice. A good show of strength to a typical Sith could be a show that one was worthy for apprenticeship, or that one wasn't to be messed with, but to those with cunning it could be a distraction to avert the eyes away from something altogether more devious. With the Archivist a 'partner' he was unlikely to wish teaching, and if Velok told him anything he'd know that a show of force would not ward of his interests. Thus a distraction was the most likely scenario. Or he supposed it could merely be a random incident, or some sort of training exercise . . . no, that would be too easy. Too random. In any case, there was no harm in keeping one's guard up.

"As you wish." He said, and left @[member="Lord Dissero"] to deal with his Noghri, as he kept his lightsaber not in his hands, but in his mind, hopefully quick enough to rip into position telekinetically. He'd be ready for just about anything. After all, most Sith who weren't ended up very dead, very quickly.
 
Another few minutes of this went on as the Archivist volleyed and rebutted the advances of his Noghri sparring mates. Twice they lanced across the opening of the path before disappearing into the thicket. Doing his best to keep their distance from the Alchemist, Dissero finally called an end to the session with an outward burst of Force energy, dispersing his opponents throughout the forest. The man took a moment to catch his breath and send a message to Mahet before traipsing from the trees and down to the trail where Valik awaited him.

"My appologies," the Archivist offered as he approached, "I hadn't expected you so soon. So much the better," as he neared the man Dissero leaned to offer him a hand to shake. A move that was likely viewed by another Sith as very stupid, brazen, or threatening, depending upon who you asked. But therein was the curiosity, as he operated within and without the boundaries of all things Sith and Darkside.

"A great pleasure to meet you," Dissero said with a growing, toothy grin, "I've never met a practicing Alchemist, fascinating skillset it is."
 

Valik

Professor of Alchemy
Valik waited until the man returned, and apologized for making him wait. It seemed he had arrived sooner than the man expected. A sign the man wasn't always prepared, or perhaps something to make Valik think he wasn't prepared. In any case, the man didn't seem the ordinary Sith. Then he did something Valik couldn't have accounted for. He extended his hand. Was this a trap? Was the man simply friendly? He thought about thinking of what type of man Velok would befriend, but he supposed that was a lost cause. Crazy old warthog.

After a moments hesitation he extended his hand and met the hand shake with his own, but extended his finger out just a bit so that he could touch the edge of the sleeve of the man's robe. Through the Force his mind went, exercising a talent that was rare to his people, rarer still to the rest of the galaxy. He went backwards in time, watching the Archivist's journey to the meeting space, managing to see a glimpse of himself in a room, training with Noghri, answering his call as he went along. He smiled as he let the hand go and Dissero spoke of his true talents.

"Indeed. There are endless applications if one is determined and creative enough." He said, trying not to get into a discussion about alchemy, but having a hint of pride and gloating in his tone all the same. "But not my only one. Tell me, do you often handle calls while training?" He asked @[member="Lord Dissero"].
 
"I take my calls as they come," Dissero replied, unaware of any inherent applications of Kiffar abilities at use. Had he been, he would have also been terribly intrigued.

"Do you often call while people are training?" brows aloft, the man offered a wry smirk before casually recalling his hand and motioning towards the cobbled path following the gently rising slope of a hill into the trees.

"I hadn't imagined our meeting to be on the grounds of Velok's demise," a frown now took the place of that smirk as he walked, hands falling to lightly gather at his back, "but little has changed despite his absence. I suppose you wish to collect your trinkets. They're not here, if you're wondering, but if you provide me a list I will ensure what is yours returns to your possession."
 

Valik

Professor of Alchemy
"I call when I need." Valik said, offering little more of an explanation. He wasn't sure if the Archivist knew about his talent in Psychometry, or was watching him through some other means. If he knew there was no point explaining, and if he didn't it was best to keep him guessing.

They continued up a rising slope, and Dissero mentioned Velok to begin, which caused a frown in the scientist face. He wasn't one to be caught having friends, but if he were Velok would be on a list of four, maybe five he'd consider such. As they continued Dissero brought themselves to the business of the matter, what with the split of hairs and all that. He was smart not to keep the information all here, but he supposed he'd have to be. Dissero had his job back when Valik was still in Empire, when Ashin Varanin was Empress, and served both Voracitos and Ardik. One didn't keep a job through so many regime changes by being incompetent.

"I'll be honest, I don't know the full extent of what you and Velok stole from the Sith, or even what Velok and I stole from the Jedi. I'm more concerned with the acquisition of the money we made in the auction. I have a project that requires some funding, but no immediate concerns with trinkets." He said, thinking as he went along. If Velok and Dissero did steal the entire archive they're would still be a ton of information. Valik wasn't one that needed much of the information, but anything alchemical, even in reference, could be useful.

"Would you mind if I perused through and looked to see what texts and holocrons you might have on alchemy?"

@[member="Lord Dissero"]
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom