He could save others from death, but not himself

[Sorel Crieff]

Spoiler

Continued from: http://starwarsrp.net/topic/86621-the-wheel-of-fortune-ssc-dominion-of-the-wheel-hex/page-8#entry1283766

The captain scanned her datapad. “I’ll start with the good news, the damage is all external. Now the bad news.”

In truth, Sorel expected every item that was reeled off. And she suspected the proposed cost was realistic and knew that the captain would negotiate a better price than she would from the local suppliers. They were known and she wasn’t. It was one of the reasons she chose them — they’d visited as often as any ship in the starport.

Sorel led the captain to the cargo bay of her ship and the droid followed on. Sorel waved at the various pods and crates. “Take your pick of what you think will sell for the best price here. I trust you. And if you negotiate a better price than expected, you can keep the change.”

The captain checked every container twice before deciding, She went with a selection of medical supplies, industrial lubricants and some crystals. In truth, Sorel saw most of the things in the cargo hold as clutter, so was not going to look to negotiate.

The captain indicated the pile she’d selected. Sorel nodded her agreement immediately. The captain then added an additional crate. Sorel simply nodded again.

The captain noticed this and inclined her head slightly. “I can see why you want us to do the buying.”

Sorel smiled. “In part, but you’ve been trusting with me. Now is not the time to look to drive a better deal.” And the Jedi knew that, once they left the ship with her cargo, she’d have to trust them to return with her parts. So she hoped she was a good judge of character.

With that Sorel shook the hand of the captain and patted the droid on the head. “The quicker I get the repairs done, I can find out who was responsible for all of this.”

The captain offered a grim smile in return. “If all I’ve heard about the Jedi is true, I don’t want to be in their shoes.”

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel sat on her ship and waited. She tried to meditate but for once could not concentrate. So she logged in to the ship’s computer and researched the planet and the mining company.

An odd thing happened when she did. Jedi records flagged a file with remarkable similarities. She accessed it and read it swiftly. Many centuries ago, Darth Plagueis and his Master Darth Tenebrous arrived on Bal'demnic to examine its cortosis supply — which they were, mining unbeknown to the Jedi, who restricted its sale due to its properties.

They experienced an explosion and the apprentice took advantage to kill the master. Like Sorel, the survivor looked to find help — but the Sith made it off of Bal'demnic by stowing away on a ship known as the Woebegone. He killed its crew and has the ship slagged, taking its droid 11-4D as an assistant in his midi-chlorian experimentations.

Sorel closed down the file. She had been having visions for some time now — yet lately the Force had been guiding her to places that had links to Jedi — and now Sith. Why was still a mystery. Did this mean she was fated to fall to the dark-side? She refused to believe that. Perhaps she was destined to learn from other’s experiences? This option she preferred greatly, and did her best to ignore the nagging doubt at the back of her mind.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel waited patiently for the crew to return. To occupy her time, she started a search of the mining rights for the this part of the northeast peninsula. There were three principal owners for the land between the shoreline to the central highlands. But it was the one that had bought the rights to mine the land she currently sat on that she was most interested in. Especially when she found out they purchased it only seven days ago.

She tapped away at her datapad and sent a request for a personal meeting with the CEO of Muun Mining. A coincidence? Darth Plagueis was a Muun after all. In Sorel’s mind there were no such things as coincidences.

But before she could research further, the captain returned with the droid and the parts she needed. Sorel glanced at the contents of the crates. “Nothing here I can’t handle myself.” She smiled at the captain. “Our deal is done, I thank you.”

The captain extended a hand. “If you ever need help, you know how to find us. I trust we’ve made a friend of at least one Jedi?”

Sorel nodded. “If you ever need help, as long as you haven’t broken the law, you can rest assured I will be there to assist you.”

The captain returned the nod. “You have a fine ship here. It’s deceptive, which I presume is entirely intentional.”

Sorel’s mouth curled at the corner. “But of course.”

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The repairs took the best part of three days but by the end of it, Sorel’s ship was not only back the way it was before but the captain had provided a few upgrades in the parts she’d found. Sorel was impressed by her honesty and ingenuity. The Jedi might even be able to turn a blind eye to the odd misdemeanour if the crew ever needed help.

And then she set a course for Muunilinst, the temperate, mineral-rich Muun homeworld. She hadn’t received a response to her request for a meeting, she didn’t expect to. But the CEO knew she was coming and the fact her message had been ignored spoke volumes.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

She exited hyperspace to be greeted by her first view of Muunilinst. It was a lush world of forests, plains, and tall, jagged mountain peaks, with its skies said to be the most beautiful in the galaxy. Yet the planet wasn’t entirely beautiful. It had a liquid iron core, a strong magnetic field, and was volcanically active throughout its known history. Its shallow oceans contained hundreds of conical volcanoes built up by powerful vents in the crust. Many of these spewed out superheated gases containing rich, pure precious metals from the planet's core. The very cones surrounding these vents were made up of layers of precious metals, mixed in with the mollusks, tube-worms, and bioluminescent ferns nurtured by the heat and water. It was these natural formations that provided the Muuns with the almost inexhaustible wealth to guarantee the credit of the entire galaxy.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel arrived at the headquarters of the mining company. Accessing the reception area was straightforward. It was larger than her ship and clearly business was good. There were no fewer than half a dozen receptionists, all local and all dressed identically.

Sorel was wearing her usual Jedi robes and as such, made no attempt to hide who or what she was. She walked up to the closest receptionist, smiling. After a small bow — by way of greeting — she introduced herself. “I am Sorel Crieff. I requested a meeting with your CEO, relevant to an incident I witnessed at an area that you recently purchased the mining rights to. I fear his acceptance to meet me was lost in the ether, so I am here in person and wish an audience at his earliest convenience.”

Sorel smiled once more — and waited patiently for a reply.

The receptionist remained polite but impassive and said, “One moment please,” before accessing the data pad in front of him.

“His diary is somewhat busy. In fact there are no free slots this year. Or next. I am so sorry. You could leave your contact details and if a free meeting becomes available the following year, we will contact you.”

Sorel bit her lip. She didn’t like using the Force unnecessarily — but some times she needed to use the appropriate tool for the task in hand. So she briefly closed her eyes and connected to the Force.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

If she felt guilty, she off-set it against a need for the truth. Not for anything personal, but for the safety of those who might get in the way of whatever this mining company had in mind.

So when the receptionist indicated the head of the mining company could see her straight away, Sorel smiled politely and bowed before heading off to the nearby lifts — their doors encrusted with crystals and clearly laminated with precious metals. Business was clearly good.

She was escorted by a polite and impeccable dressed, uniformed guard who pressed a button and swiped a card to allow the lift to access the top floor. Sorel remained silent and waited patiently whilst the lift made its swift accent.

The guard took her to another receptionist, this one clearly guarded the door to the CEO’s door. “I…” the similarly immaculately dressed woman seemed momentarily surprised to see the Jedi. “I shall let Ms. Pratap know you’re here.” The smile was broad but Sorel sensed it was fixed in place and no more genuine than the appointment she’d just engineered.

“That’s OK, I’ll see myself in,” Sorel replied and strode to the two floor to ceiling doors, pushing one open.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Behind the doors, the view was stunning. The room filled the entire floor - save for the small reception area outside of the lift that had brought her here. The walls were made of duraglass and afforded an unimpeded view of the surrounding area. In the far corner was a single desk — albeit the size of an average speeder, and there was also a break out area with soft seating and a small table. The room was larger than Sorel’s ship.

If the CEO was shocked to see her, she hid it well. ”I am so delighted we were able to accommodate your request to meet. Late cancellations invariably serve a positive purpose it seems.” Unlike her receptionist, her face was impassive. And none of her emotions were leaking. “But as to why someone as insignificant as me should warrant a visit from a Jedi Master?”

Sorel matched her host’s emotionless visage. “Not a Master, Ms. Pratap. And I’m here because I’m a concerned citizen of the galaxy as opposed to being here on official Jedi business. But I was acting on behalf of the Silver Sanctum Coalition when the incident I wish to discuss occurred.”

The CEO smiled — but it was humourless. “I keep a watch on galactic events. I am aware of your government’s actions lately. I presume the two are connected.”

Sorel nodded.

“And from your insistence to meet me and your demeanour, I suggest my company has done something to displease you?”

“A good question," Sorel said. "Have you?”

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The CEO did not speak. Sorel rode the silence for a while and then carried on as if there had been no break in the speech.

“I visited a mine that had already been excavated yet I subsequently found out your company bought the mineral rights to. But that’s not the issue. Given it was officially your mine, it was therefore you that supplied the survey report and the mining probe."

The CEO remained impassive. Sorel had expected some sort of reaction by now.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

"Plasma!" the CEO finally stated. "An untapped reservoir of plasma. Enough to provide energy to a thousand worlds.”

Sorel looked as puzzled as she felt. Why tell her now? Why tell her at all? She felt uneasy at the revelation. Criminal masterminds never shared a plan unless they had to. And nothing Sorel had done so far suggested the CEO lacked a choice in the matter. Sometimes the beans were spilled because the criminal saw a benefit. Sorel could see none in sharing the information.

Which left the Jedi with only one likely possibility. The CEO did not see the Jedi as a threat and was planning of disposing of her before she could share the information.

The CEO’s eyes narrowed. “You’re smart, I’m sure of that. Which means you’re weighing up why I told you. And you can come to only one conclusion I’m sure.” As she finished speaking, her pupils morphed into a sulphurous yellow. “Let me explain.”

 

[Sorel Crieff]

“You see this plasma reservoir is enormous. Almost unique among the known worlds," the CEO said as she stared into Sorel’s eyes. “But you will forget you ever heard of it. When I’m finished with you, you’ll share a story that I was most helpful but the unfortunate victim of industrial espionage. The Silver Jedi will go looking elsewhere for a perpetrator. I can’t kill you, who knows who you told you were coming here. But a few planted memories and you’ll actually become an ally, albeit you won’t even know you’re helping me.”

Sorel did something odd then. She smiled.

The Sith looked vexed. “You doubt my abilities child?”

Sorel kept the grin on her face. “No, I doubt your abilities to tell someone’s race.”

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The Sith was clearly looking to exert some sort of mental control over Sorel, not that the young Padawan was aware of the attack, nor needed to defend against it. Sometimes genetics trumped even the Force.

"Give up," Sorel said, very matter-of-factly. Perhaps too cooly, as her even tone seemed to annoy the Sith.

"Give up? GIVE UP?" The Sith was shouting now and virtually foaming at the mouth. Clearly her exposure to non Force Sensitives and perhaps poorly trained Jedi gave her an inflated opinion of her abilities. But she was not about to simply give in and so jumped up from behind her desk, brandishing a crimson saber.