Private Deceptive Visage

[Vaylin]

Whilst Vaylin was busy keeping herself entertained with her prisoner, there was still one significant piece of the puzzle that she required. Zaavik Dagoth, Allyson’s Padawan. She had been introduced to him during the Galactic Alliance’s invasion of Korriban. How long they had been Master and Padawan was unknown to the Zabrak, but she wanted to find out. Already, she could tell a bond had formed between them, but just how deep did it go?

Oh, she held no illusions that she could easily turn the Jedi. If Zaavik was anything like his Master, then he’d share the same irritating stubbornness.

But then, Vaylin always liked a challenge. He had shown he was capable, still malleable enough to be manipulated down a darker path. Zaavik’s little lightning outburst on Korriban was evident of that.

So she laid out a plan, pulling different pieces together to set up a trap for her captive’s dear little Padawan. All she needed was a certain bit of alchemised tech…

I need your help. My name is Vivienne, and I was instructed to make contact should our mutual Corellian friend be captured again. She promised me a way out of my situation, but obviously that’s not happening right now. There’s something you need to see, something that might help you get her back. I’ve attached the coordinates with this message.

Please hurry, I’ve managed to slip away from my superiors but it won’t be long before they notice my absence.

Vi.​

The message had come through an encrypted channel, presumably to avoid the Sith-Imperial authorities. If Zaavik looked into its origins, he’d find it had indeed originated within Sith Empire space. A further bit of digging in certain databases would reveal one Vivienne Cross had failed to report in for work, and thus had been put on notice as ‘Missing’.

Within the message was two sets of coordinates, the first was to the planet itself that resided along the fringes of Sith Space, bordering Silver Jedi territory. The second set were across the planet itself, heading several miles out from the capitol and towards the more mountainous region.

At that location the Zeltron would find a lone humanoid female, with dark blond hair and looked to be in her early twenties. She was sitting in the grass, head leant against her speeder and was fast asleep. Adorned in a pretty simple getup of boots, trousers and jacket, with the most prominent item being the blaster held in her hands.

It would seem the woman had been on guard for a while, only to succumb to sleep at some point.

Zaavik Perl​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

S H A D O W
SITH SPACE // MEETING PLACE

「THE ESCAPE AND THE CHASE ARE NOW ONE」​

He was on a ship in minutes.

A haphazardly borrowed ship, as it were. With little more than intuition guided by second-hand knowledge of piloting, he set course for the designated coordinates. Many personally identifiable effects were left behind. The most basic of vestments, a stygian robe, and the lightsaber he had 'borrowed' from Darth Daiara were among the few things on his person. Dark clothes, red saber, the best cover he'd ever be capable of scrounging in this situation.

Be it luck, or the force granting him the intuition for proper astrogation, Zaavik managed to slip into the proper hyperlane trajectory. Inertial compensators activated with a sudden droning blare as the ship barrelled suddenly from FTL and the planet quickly expanded into view. Yoke bowed with the influence of his grip and the ship lowered into the atmosphere, landing in a field several kilometers from the sent coordinates.

The boarding ramp dropped unceremoniously to the ground, heralding Zaavik's descent to the vacant clearing. Two DRK-1 droids of Zaavik's own refurbish followed shortly behind, their repulsors cooing and fluttering in tow. "Fly low, keep a perimeter around me. You see anything, buzz me, okay?" The fabric shrouded Zeltron made a circular motion with his extended index finger. The two droids beeped in acknowledgment and took off past him, gliding low against the terrain as their active cloaking modules rendered them transparent with a sudden flicker.

Trekking against the wind and undulating sea of foilage, Zaavik soon found himself at the meeting place. A bike and a sleeping woman. He wasn't sure what he expected. "Hey," he called out softly, still a few meters between them. "Hey!" More insistent this time. "Wake up."

Vaylin​

 

[Vaylin]

Vivienne remained still, slumbering quietly even after Zaavik’s first attempt to wake her. As he approached, the woman’s presence in the Force became more apparent. It was muddled, grey in the middle but surrounding in darkness. A mirror to the woman’s work and those she was surrounded by for the past several years. But the more glaring aspect was the fact it had been suppressed, deliberately so by Vivienne herself.

It wasn’t until the final call to wake up, that Vivienne finally stirred. And abruptly so at that. Startled, the woman immediately raised her blaster and squeezed the trigger, a bolt shot from the barrel only to harmlessly hit the ground behind Zaavik. In a burst of athleticism and adrenaline, Vivienne threw herself up and over her speeder, quickly using it as a wall as she aimed the blaster back at the Zeltron.

“W-who are you?!”

The dark clothing and lightsaber at the man’s hip put Vivienne on edge. Finger edging down against the trigger again.

“I got nothing for you Sith, I ain’t goin’ back!”

Vivienne’s eyes were darting everywhere across Zaavik’s form, not daring to turn her gaze away. But the edge in her form was starting to simmer down. Hazel eyes locked onto blue as Vivienne seemingly and finally took notice of his Zeltron features.

“Are you...Zaavik?”

Her finger eased off the trigger slightly, but to her credit she remained alert. She was incredibly paranoid, that much was clear. But there was a measure of hope in her eyes, that the young man in question had answered her message.

Zaavik Perl​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

S H A D O W
SITH SPACE // MEETING PLACE

「THE ESCAPE AND THE CHASE ARE NOW ONE」​

Zaavik raised one hand, palm out pacifistically and facing the woman. Slowly, the other followed suit. Droidspeak buzzed in his earpiece, informing him of a tentative 'all clear'. "Hey, relax," he insisted gently from behind the obscurity of his large stygian hood. Slowly, his head titled back to reveal his face in full to the woman in an attempt to confirm his identity.

"Yeah, it's me. You Vivienne?"

As soon as it looked like sudden movements wouldn't get him shot, he brought both hands up to pull the hood down. Dark circles had infested the flesh beneath his eyes since Korriban. A testament to hindered sleep since he'd been subjected to the world's sinister presence and the nightmare that Gnox the Insatiable truly was. He could still see the Sith's half incinerated face smiling condescendingly back at him every night.

Along with this was a shadow of off-violet stubble around his chin and jaw. Just enough for it not to be pitiful. Zeltron didn't usually grow facial hair, but the quarter human genetics were beginning to show more and more as he matured. Not only was he not sleeping well, but personal care seemed to suffer along with it. He was exhausted, didn't take a force-sensitive to pick up on that.

"So," he began, crossing his arms nervously. "Tell me everything you know."

Vaylin​

 

[Vaylin]

Several tense seconds passed until Vivienne relaxed. Her finger left the trigger entirely, the gun falling to her side as the woman herself slumped into the speeder.

“Oh thank god,” she sighed, letting the adrenaline wear off. She let out the breath she had been holding, before pushing herself up onto her feet. Vivienne holstered the blaster, then walked around the vehicle, leaning against it. “Yeah, I’m Vivienne. Vivienne Cross.”

The first thing she noted was the bags under Zaavik’s eyes. Vivienne had some too, but they were much less apparent. Whatever had been haunting the Zeltron, it had hit him hard. The second was the faint hint of growing stubble. Not a typical sight for a Zeltron, but it wasn’t exactly important right now.

“Well...since Korriban, Lady Moirai...Vaylin has been absent from the Serran. Last time she was there was shortly after the invasion, bringing Miss Locke onboard for further medical attention.” Vivienne paused, shifting over to reach for one of her side saddle bags and pulled out a flask. She unscrewed the top and took a large swig of its contents. “Water?” She screwed the cap back on, holding it out to either throw to Zaavik, or draw it back if he refused.

“Once she was deemed healthy enough, the Matriarch took her newly acquired prisoner onto her personal ship, and no I unfortunately don’t know where she went. Believe me, if I had that info we’d be heading there right now to try and break her out.”

Vivienne sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. It was plain to see this had been weighing on the woman for quite some time. And in turn it was a relief to finally be talking to Zaavik.

“The reason why I came here, asking you to meet me. Is because I believe Allyson’s lightsaber is here. Vaylin or rather her underlings, have been in the process of constructing a trap, for you.”

Zaavik Perl​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

S H A D O W
SITH SPACE // MEETING PLACE

「THE ESCAPE AND THE CHASE ARE NOW ONE」​

A hand came up, fingers outstretched and palm facing outward in declination of the water. A slight upturn of his nose and shake of his head accompanied, making the gesture seeming ruder than it initially would have. Vivienne Cross, the name meant nothing to him, and given the circumstances, trust was far from unconditional. He stood silently, maintaining his distance even once hostile ideation had seemingly left the woman.

"Foito," Fuck, he cursed in his mother tongue. All this way expecting Allyson, just to get her saber? His head turned downward slightly with a hint of dejectedness. A sigh followed shortly after. Perhaps, at the very least, he could find some insight on his next move. "Well, her lightsaber is better than nothing, I guess."

Cybernetic digits brushed through violet locks, unobscuring the vermillion features of his sullen visage. "So, what? You wanna disrupt the trap and nab the saber? Fine, but, what do you get out of this exactly? How can I be certain I can trust you? Allyson's sith waters flow deeper than I'd like, so forgive me for being skeptical."

Vaylin​

 

[Vaylin]

Vivienne shrugged in response to Zaavik’s declination, opting to take another swig of water before returning the flask into the saddlebag. She sighed then the Zeltron cursed, knowing he had more so hoped to be finding Allyson today, not an item of hers. But there was more to it than just that, Vivienne and revealed everything.

“What do I get out of this? Freedom, hopefully. My hope is that by helping you find Allyson, means I’ll be able to keep her to the promise she made.” The truth of that statement was obscured by Zaavik’s words, bringing up Allyson’s ties to the Sith. It meant that while he knew his Master fairly well, it wasn’t complete. Part of her wondered if anyone knew the Corellian fully. Locke could be very convincing, but could equally just as drop things at a moment’s notice if it was called for.

Vivienne’s head fell, gaze staring down at the grass beneath their feet as she sighed. Hand raising up to massage her forehead. She looked back up, straightening her posture as she remained leant against her transport.

“It’s understandable, I wouldn’t trust easily either if the roles were reversed. But I’m desperate.” She sighed, eyes flickering away from Zaavik for a few moments. “I’ve been stuck in Sith Space since I was young, when they conquered my home planet all those years ago. I’ve been able to conceal myself for so long, avoiding their inquisitive eyes. But now with everything going on with the New Imperial Order, they’ve been looking inwards a lot more intently.” It was a bold choice then, to be hiding herself within a group whose main purpose was the capture and conversion of Force users.

Hiding right under their nose, or however that saying went.

“I’ve been suppressing my connection to the Force for so long, I can barely feel it. I-” Vivienne stopped, pushing away from her speeder and began to pace back and forth. She was distressed, frustrated. But Vivienne was able to rein it in after nearly a minute, turning to face Zaavik once more. “I need help reconnecting, but more importantly I need Allyson to help me disappear from the galaxy, to start anew elsewhere.”

Zaavik Perl​