Deceivers

[Darth Veles]

The arid climate of Makem Te did no good to his sensitive skin, yet the amphibious Mon Calamari showed no signs of discomfort. He had trained and survived Korriban's crimson sands and piercing sun, developing a certain resistance to heat, uncommon among his species. Dehydratation presented the only real danger in such environments, not just to the ones like him but to the most sentient beings. The Mon Calamari known as Darth Veles felt no worry though; right in front of him, on a table, sat a cup of tea as his large amber eyes studied certain materials relating to a certain building in a certain place he intended to visit. The plans were safely stored in his datapad, which projected the images as a ghostly-blue holograph, large enough for the Mon Cal Sith to see everything without the need to scroll the image, small enough not to give the others any idea of what he actually watched. For all the people around him knew, the Mon Calamari could have been an architect of some sort, and he gave them no reason to think otherwise.

When he first entered this small canteen in the city of Thousand Thousand, stepping into the iron building, the babble of the patrons stopped, all heads turning towards the door that slid open and revealed a Mon Calamari in a black, heavy cloak, hood covering his large domed head. Seeing a Mon Cal in such place certainly seemed odd, but at least everyone who knew a bit of the species figured out the cloak protected him from the environment. Once Veles removed the hood, no need for it as he stood inside and felt the cool air produced by an air conditioner brush against his moist skin, the patrons returned to their drinks and chatter. The amphibian swiveled his orange orbs around, scanning the small area for anyone else wearing hood. He did spot many sentients who were not the native Swokes Swokes, many of them undoubtedly tourists who wished to see the famous Tract of Makem Te. He might go and admire it himself, but later. Right now, he had work to do. His booted feet made no sound as he slowly paced towards the nearest empty table and seated himself, ordering a cup of tea once the waitress arrived.

If anyone particularly observant took a closer look at him, they would be able to notice an old model of Imperial armor under the cloak covering his body. Another thing about him, one only a Force user had a chance of noticing, was the Mon Cal's signature in the Force. Despite his mastery over Force stealth, Veles made no attempt to hide or twist his presence, therefore every Force sensitive could feel the neutral aura that radiated from the young Mon Calamari. Only a true Master of Force sense can dive deeper into the Force and feel Avreet's signature leaned closer to the Dark aspect than the Light, still not giving away his identity as a Sith Master.

Reaching out with his webbed hand, the amphibian takes the cup and raises it towards his large mouth, taking a small sip before setting the cup back, not once lifting his eyes from the holographic plans, memorizing every detail and going over it again and again, every time he made a stop.

[member="Tarazet Acsada"]

 

[Tarazet Acsada]

The planet was not of the liking of a certain Echani teenager who was certainly having a small problem leading with the heat. The hot atmosphere wasn't inflicting any major condition in her apart from tiring her far more quickly than what it usually took for her to need a rest and making a feeling of overall discomfort shake through her. The reasons to why she was on Makem Te were unknown, or at least partially unknown. One couldn't help but think it was the last effort, for some time, to find her brother. To stop looking for him was an idea she had a hard time coming to terms with but she had now promised to herself that if Nusakan was not here, he would be lost for a long time.
With this thought in mind and need of replenishing the liquid inside her body she approached a cantina that was near. It was not the exact kind of place she would have preferred to chose but the best she could get, wondering for who knows how much hours more with only the promise of finding a cantina was not the most intelligent plan. Her grey eyes were always keeping careful watch over her surroundings, now she was a Silver Jedi padawan and so she had the duty of protecting the ones who could not do so and in places like this...well, they where crowded with defenseless and aggressors.

She finally entered the cantina, the murmured stopped for a second as many turned to look at the newcomer. She couldn't blame them, her pale skin, grey eyes and silver hair did not match the description one would make of a regular humanoid who inhabited the world. Soon enough the conversations recommenced and she walked towards an empty table, completely oblivious to the fact that a similar situation had occurred minutes before with the arrival of the Mon Calamari, who was sitting in the table behind her. The Echani cleared her mind from the unnerving thoughts of her family and almost the same second they where pushed out of her mind she sensed another Force-user, he was behind her. He had a neutral aura, something that certainly lowered the silver-haired teenager's tension but still, the habit of not trusting others so easily had not yet abandoned her.

[member="Darth Veles"]

 

[Darth Veles]

The cybernetic orb swiveled up as Veles lifted his gaze from the plans, now studying the newcomer with his right eye and noting her youthful look. Much like him, her appearance screamed she did not belong in this place. The light grey hair of the woman, coupled with the silvery eyes hinted towards the Echani origin, but Veles needed more to brand her as one, having befriended a white haired woman in the past who was not an Echani, her pale complexion and unusual hair color a result of a mere genetic mutation. The amphibious Sith looked back at the datapad to avoid staring, though as the newcomer sat to the table behind him, he could not help but notice her presence in the Force. The left hand of the Sith Master disappeared under the heavy cloak and moved towards one of the twin lightsabers on his belt, ready to quickly use it if necessary while he continued to feel the young woman's signature. Fairly light, showing signs of little training. The Sith Master had no doubt she had noticed him too, so now he just had to determine the purpose of this... Padawan? The first thing that came to his mind was one of the Silver Jedi assassins coming to eliminate him. That meant the woman most likely possessed the ability to manipulate her signature, faking her inexperience. On the other hand, such technique required years to master, and the girl's youthful look did not support her having enough skill over the power to bend her presence to her will. More so, the Echani appeared quite young, which further indicated a Padawan.

Would that Dark Jedi group send a naive Padawan after a Sith Master? Absolutely, but then again, they had to know she would not be returning, making this a suicide mission sanctioned by their council. The Mon Calamari reached through the Force, searching through the area and trying to find any other Force sensitives. It appeared the two were the only ones though. Finishing the tea and turning off the datapad, the Mon Calamari stood up, taking the device and moving it beneath his cloak, his arms swiftly following and also disappearing under the cloth. The Sith calmly walked to the table with the Jedi, offering the Echani a warm and friendly smile. "Excuse me," the Sith Master said, revealing a bit about himself if the young Jedi recognized the Imperial accent, "I apologize for interrupting you, young lady, but I could not help but notice you are a trained Force user as well. Are you per chance a Silver Jedi? Voss is quite close to Makem Te...," the amphibian seated himself opposite of the young woman, still smiling pleasantly as his piercing gaze burned through her eyes.

The loud steps of the waitress contrasted the Mon Cal's inaudible pace and forced the Mon Calamari to turn his attention, as well as the large domed head towards the woman. "Two cups of tea, please," ordered the amphibian and shifted his gaze back towards the grey haired girl. "My name is Avreet Zatarus," the Sith Master reached out with his webbed hand to offer the young woman a handshake. Whether she accepted or not, he spoke again, now raising both of his hands to show his empty palms. "Now, please, do not be alerted, I mean no harm!" he said in an apologetic tone before explaining this behavior, "I am a former Sith Knight of the Sith Empire. I am looking for a Jedi friend who teaches me how to use the Light Side of the Force." All of that was surprisingly true. He told her his real name. The Sith Empire existed no more due to the Republic and Mandalorians wiping it out and Veles no longer held the title of a Knight. He truly searched for his "lost" friend, so if the Echani knew how to recognize a lie hidden in someone's words, she would find none in Veles'.