Bounty It's Not Every Day....

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Damascus Station was home. At least for now. Lori's whole life had once again been upended, turned around, flipped on it's side and gone for a loop. The Elysium Empire had been dissolved through internal political fighting, all of which she had no control over. Her position was one of very little power. She held more political clout over Mnemosyne than on any world in Elysium's influence cloud. Maybe it was soon time to go back there.

Lori's company's headquarters and main factories were on Damascus however. And although she was confident that she could look after it remotely, there was still a part of her that preferred a more hands on approach. She liked to be there for her employees. Most especially as there had been some Mandalorians after some of her beskar reserves. At least she had the sense of not keeping it all in the same place.

And then there was a reason to stay that was much more personal. Maybe it blinded her in some respect as love tended to do. Yet she had hoped that the connection that she felt was going to be long lasting. Third time's the charm, right?

For now Lori busied herself with going back to an old habit; which was mainly tinkering. Sitting on a crate next to her ship in one of Damascus station's busy hangers, Lori worked on her jetpack Ol' Sparky on her lap. A panel was open, exposing a series of wires and electrical components. A screwdriver was held between her teeth as she worked to try to grip a small bolt in between her fingers that had somehow gotten loose inside and had been rattling around in there.

"Come on...come on....you don't belong in there...."

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Malum sat inside the Lochris' cockpit, as some attendants moved to refuel the starfighter. The rest of the fellowship of sorts had proceeded onward with Omon's ship, as he waited here, he would join up with them soon enough. Soon they'd be at the Correllian Run, which would begin the most dangerous part of their expedition, flying through Mandalorian, Jedi, Imperial, and then finally Ashlan Space, all to reach Dromund Kaas. But worrying about all that could come later, as it stood now, he was just happy to be away from the rest of those who had come with him on this quest. Honestly, all of them were great, as much as could be expected from them all anyway, relatively quiet, relatively polite, but Malum was not a social creature, he was the kind of person that would always rather read a book than... speak, to someone. This had extended forth to his family, even the presence of Vita and Trayze day after day proved grating. He knew he would have to move past this eventually, a mere inconvenience could not hold him back like this, but for now, this little reprieve from all of them would do quite good for his sanity. Indeed, an opportunity to explore this... Damascus Station, could not be ignored either.

Arriving by way of neighbouring systems, it was hard to ignore that it seemed these parts had been once greater than they now were. An Elysian Empire, they had called it, not much of an empire now by the looks, he knew nothing of it, though by the fact that the planets still stood thriving, perhaps it had not fallen in outright civil war... but in some other way.

Perhaps someone would be willing to tell him what had happened here. This Damascus Station was apparently quite the important structure in the Empire, it was seemingly more impressive that it had survived the fall, and continued to function without it.

Malum yawned as he stretched his arms, maybe speaking with someone was worth it, if he could gain knowledge from it, he did need to stretch his legs anyhow. The Lochris was comfortable yes, but anyway could go stir-crazy being trapped in a metal box for days on end.

A button was pressed, and Malum squinted his eyes, as light flooded the rear of the starfighter. His lightsabers were secured to his belt, and his cloak was placed over his head. He had found it interesting enough that in his cursory readings that it was found that the Sith were actually accepted in the Elysian Empire. But the empire was dead, and though he did feel fond for at least that aspect, there was no guarantee that such accommodation was still in place. He may even need to look into finding coloured contacts, as strange of a fashion choice as it had been for Vita to conceal the eyes of Marr, at least for a quest like this, it made sense. Red eyes were rare enough but were almost ubiquitous for a Sith.

His eyes adjusted well enough with the light of the hanger, and looking around, he saw what he expected. The hanger was busy, new ships continued to arrive while others left, and crews ran about both fueling and repairing, while beyond the Hanger led into the various other spaces of the Station, he was sure the rest of his companions would have liked the chance to explore this place. Perhaps they would return here, after the Holocron was well in hand.

A man could dream.

"There's another force sensitive here." His mind helpfully relayed, as his eyes wandered over to... a mechanic? An attractive mechanic for sure, dark brown hair cascaded from the fore, as she was seemingly tinkering with one of the ships in the hanger. Now, it was not as if there were no other force sensitives that he could sense on the station, but it seemed she was the closest. His mind idly remembered the bounty that Adeline had informed him of, well, perhaps he could kill two birds with one stone. Learn of this Elysian Empire, and fulfil the bounty to learn more of the Sangnirs. No one would miss a simple mechanic, right?

He walked over to the figure.

"You really seem to know your craft." Malum said softly, he was not lying, she did seem to know what she was doing, "If you don't mind, I had some questions." Be friendly, be kind, let her trust you, then strike.

Such was the Sith way... his Sith way.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori's teeth tightened their grip on the screwdriver as the fingers of one of her hand fished through the wires, the middle and forefinger taking hold of the stray bolt that had managed to get loose in there. "Got you..." Ever so carefully, she pulled her hand out from the opening of her jetpack and then palmed the bolt with one hand while removing the screwdriver from her mouth with the other. "Let's put you where you belong so that you don't cause anymore trouble, hmm?" She pocketed the bolt and then used the screwdriver to secure the panel onto Ol'Sparky.

The hairs on the back of her neck rose as Darth Malum of House Marr approached, yet she didn't pay it too much mind. There was a wide variety of sorts that came and went through Damascus Station. If she was to over react to all of them that gave her a sense of warning, then she'd never have a relaxing moment at all.

The man didn't look familiar, which wasn't too surprising given the population of the station. Yet he had the telltale sign of a tourist that was asking for directions.

"I've been tinkering with this old thing since I was a teen. The casinos and cantinas are down the hall and to the left. The shopping district is to the right. The atrium to see the Prophets is to the left, but take the first two rights and follow the signs to get to them. If you end up lost, there are some kiosks to help you find your way."

Lori was pretty sure that she covered all of his questions, if she had guessed correctly. Afterall those three types of sectors of the station was the most common ones that tourists often asked about.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"Well thank you for that very concise delivery of that information, duly noted," Malum responded with a short laugh, even with the purpose of him coming here, one for knowledge, the other... well simply put, to kidnap, such a prepared automatic answer was quite charming, no doubt newcomers to the station were always bothering her for directions and such, that it was very necessary.

"Unfortunately, directions are not the questions I had in mind, though thank you, I will be certain they will come in handy," They would not, a disappearance of a mechanic may not be noticed initially, but every moment he stayed on the Station, it became more and more likely that it would be noticed eventually, "My question was actually on the Elysian Empire, I assume as a resident of the Station you have heard of it? Coming in from the Galactic west, I heard quite a few mentions of it from those I spoke to, but it seemingly is no longer existent, could you tell me about it?"

As he said his words, he concentrated the Force within him, and deployed Force Stealth around him, an experimental thing, both to hide his presence in the Force, but also to hide them both from view. He had seen it in action on Kal'Shebbol, how the Sith opposite him had used it, now, as long as he maintained it, she and he should be invisible to all those in the hanger... that was the theory anyway.

Once the explanation was given, he could move to silence her and then bring her to the Lochris, taking a brief detour to Jutrand and bringing another soul for Adeline.

He potentially had a problem, and though he continued to delude himself that these actions were in no way related to garnering her favour. He still had his mission in hand, having the Sangnir owe him could be a powerful thing, it extended further than knowledge of the Sangnir, if war commenced within the Sith Order between a Triumvirate that was constantly fraying at the seams, he would need allies, and what better an ally than a Sangnir Highblood?

Yes, there was indeed more reasoning for fulfilling this bounty, than just impressing the woman he was potentially infatuated with.

That was at least what he continued to tell himself, as he awaited the attractive woman in front of him to respond.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori raised a brow as Darth Malum of House Marr indicated that she hadn't guessed his intentions right at all. The man appeared to be more than just the average tourist.

The mention of Elysium Empire's status further cemented the notion in her mind that he was probably someone that she should send Dorthea Dobson 's way eventually. No doubt he had come from some other government to gain intel on the fall of the little Empire.

Lori set Ol'Sparky down on the crate and got to her feet, dusting her hands off on her jacket before holding one of them out for him to shake. "I'm not just a resident, I'm the owner of this station and former 'Nobody' Queen as some outsiders liked to call me. But most here just call me Lori." Whether he shook her hand or not, she proceeded to cross her arms across her chest. "Internal politics was it's downfall, in answer to your question. Greed overcame duty. Damascus is full of refugees from the wars elsewhere in the Galaxy that have grown tired of conquestial wars. My parents taught me to look after them and that one day they'd repay me in kind. And so far they have.

How long this station will stay here remains to be seen though. If war comes into this sector we'd have to move it. Mnemosyne is still safe, I think. It's deep in Jedi territory, so the wars probably haven't reached it, and my brother and I still head the monarchy there. So at least I know that we'd be accepted without much question." Lori had no idea what Caedyn Arenais was up to these days. Whether he was living a quiet life or had been pulled back into the fray of war as had so often happened. Surely he wouldn't mind her bringing over a billion people to orbit the planet.

"Does that about answer your question?"

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

The Queen... the Queen... the Former Queen... but still royalty. Oh, Malum had certainly lucked out, had not he? He had always thought wishing luck upon someone to be a strange notion, for indeed wishing good luck on an individual made sense, but simply luck? Well luck in itself did not imply anything positive, indeed, it implied randomness, and chaos, when one wished someone luck, they were verbatim wishing them either good fortune or bad. Well, at current he felt himself mentally screaming at all those that had ever wished him luck, because clearly, all the bad fortune had coalesced into this moment, for the mechanic he was aiming to kidnap, the mechanic that no one would miss... had turned out to be one of the most important women on the station.

Guess he could not complain too much. He had not actually taken the plunge and kidnapped the wo- lady, yet so at least he was not locked into that outcome, and then needing to fight a supremely difficult battle to bring her onto the Lochris and escape. He could breathe a mental sigh of relief at that, at the very least, he supposed. Perhaps both Fate and Destiny were not out to get him. Moreover, seemed that at least one of his objectives would go over well, his curiosity had saved him, and indeed, she was a veritable gold mine of the information of this Elysian Empire.

Even in this battle of thoughts, it seemed his body functioned fine on autopilot, as he shook her hand, and allowed her to speak uninterrupted. Filing away what information was useful and/or interesting. Internal politics, hmm? It seemed his initial theory was not too inaccurate, internal troubles that seemed to have ruptured the Empire, not into civil war, but into irrelevance. Perhaps a kinder fate for an Empire to flicker and die, rather than burn up in a fiery inferno. Depended on the person, he supposed.

The references to Mnemosyne were interesting enough, he did not know where the planet exactly lay, but that was to be expected, as 'deep in Jedi territory' generally meant for him to stay far far away. Still was rather curious that her brother led the monarchy on the planet, you rarely got two siblings ruling independently... though it seemed this sibling's kingdom had been reduced very much, leaving only this Station, by the looks. A pity. The fact this Station could be moved that far too, was a fascinating feature, perhaps he would have to inform his Mistress about that, taking this structure for themselves could be quite the advantage, with the Kainite Malsheem, and the rumours of an Eternalist super-weapon, the Tsis'Kaar likely needed some way to show their influence... though visible influence and Tsis'Kaar were perhaps oxymoronic.

"It does indeed, thank you for indulging in my curiosity," A metaphorical candle lit in his brain, an idea, a plan to kidnap a queen, "If it would not be too much trouble, and if you are done here," Malum said, referencing the starfighter she was currently servicing, "My Lochris has been having sensor troubles recently, perhaps you could come inside and take a look? If it is not too much trouble that is." A strange plan if there was ever one, to invite the kidnapee into his starship, and then escape with none the wiser, a Queen or not, she still did not exactly seem as strong as a Jedi, but he was confident with the element of surprise in hand, that he could knock her out, and fulfill his bounty.

Another tragedy for the fallen Elysian Empire, but what could be done?

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori was indeed finished with her tinkering. With the little loose bolt safely in her pocket, she knew that it wouldn't be causing anymore trouble. At least not for her jetpack.

The hanger was a bustle of activity as usual, so it wasn't any real surprise that Darth Malum of House Marr probably had his ship on a waiting list when it came to getting more than just a refuel done. He probably wanted to get out of there quicker than that and saw herself as an opportunity for some quick work to be done.

"Sure thing. Lead the way." She uncrossed her arms and then grabbed her little tool kit from the top of the crate before she moved to follow him. If the issue was too problematic, she could always get Arla to help. The HRD was her bodyguard, co-pilot and mechanic. She was already inside Lori's ship working on the hyperdrive. Normally Lori would have asked her to come with her, but the fact that she figured that she'd be just a few ships along in the hanger; having Arla tag along didn't seem necessary. And there was security hanging about anyways. Besides, outside of some of the Mandalorians; Lori had no enemies that she was aware of.

"What's your name? I didn't quite catch it if you threw it. Are you just passing through?" Lori was always one for small chat. When she was younger people could hardly get her to shut up, especially when she was passionate about something. These days she didn't have many people to talk to outside of Arla and Var-Sulis if he was in the sector. At least with the Elysium gone, so too went the bounties on her friends heads.

Fortunately.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

A name, a name, a name, for most that was not problematic, but for him, considering who his progenitor was, revealing his name would be a rather easy way to get all security on the station to converge on him. On the outside, he offered but a simple smile at the question, but on the inside, there was indeed a very deep panic. It was not as if most knew of Darth Marr, among the greatest Dark Lords of the Sith, he would not rank highly in the popular conscious, and indeed Marr was a common enough name to perhaps allow him to escape detection, but would he risk using it? No, that was the utmost of foolhardiness.

"Malum, Malum of House Marrtaniel, of the planet Eliad, have you heard of it?" Malum said after a moment of pause, every lie had best have an element of truth, he found. There was a House Marr on the planet of Eliad, one which his own family had affectionately named Marrtaniel, a way of giving them a sense of autonomy from the main branch, while they all still stood united under the name Marr, "As for why I am here, I shall admit, it was an adventure, I was curious of the tales I had heard here, and too was considering the prospect of profit, so thought I would make a trip here to see what I would find. I have to say, this Station of yours is very impressive, I am sure all of Eliad would agree with that." Malum said, honestly too, he was sure that his Mistress would be rather interested in this Station. He led the way to the ship, opening the door, as he awaited it to descend down and let them inside.

Truly, this was better than his wildest expectations, and seemingly his Stealth was still proving powerful enough to keep both of their presences concealed, physically and within the Force. All he would need to do now was invite her on board... and then knock her out. Would be simple enough if things went to plan.

Yet they so rarely did, did they?

Malum offered his arm, bowing slightly, he was a noble both in act and actuality, simple enough to act like one, especially to actual royalty. It was rather odd for actual royalty to be doing such menial tasks, yet, hard times came for them all, he supposed. Leading her to the cockpit, he leaned against the control panel, as he gestured to the sensors. Discreetly pressing the key to close the entrance hatch as he did so, preparing to talk to cover up the sound of such a motion.

"I cannot say I am personally great at this sort of thing, better flier than a mechanic, I'm afraid," Malum gave a short chuckle, as he continued, "But the senors have been going haywire recently, sometimes completely oblivious to what's right in front of them, asteroids and foes alike. Think you could take a look?" Malum said, not even a blink between his words as red eyes met blue.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Eliad? I've heard of it but I can't say that I've been there yet. I don't really go planet side a lot. Mostly I've lived in my ship. It's probably why this station is a good place for me. It's basically a gigantic ship." And one with a massive amount of crew. Sure thete was some green spaces, like the Atrium, but most of their food had to be imported.

Lori followed Darth Malum of House Marr to his ship, listening to his ideas of spinning a profit at the station. No doubt that was what a lot of people did here. Opening up a trade agreement on Damascus wasn't much different than having one with a planet. There was a government body, citizens, resources stashed in various places and plenty of factories and spaces for businesses to open up. "It's good to meet you. I should get you in touch with Dorthea Dobson , she's the Chief Director of this station and handles a lot of the business deals and trade agreements. For the moment she's away on a trip though." She was supposed to be away on a vacation, but that woman was a workhorse. No doubt she'd find some way to work when she was supposed to be relaxing.

She took his arm, bowing her head a little as his demeanor changed in how he treated her. Some people did that and she wasn't entirely unused to it. Most people tended to look down upon her in regards to how she fared differently from the other members of her family, so Lori didn't mind the positive attention.

His arm was released once she was inside the cockpit. She took a peek at the controls near the sensor screen, her eyes meeting his as he described the problem. Again she got goosebumps with the hairs on the back of her neck going up. This time it was much stronger than before. A warning. Maybe if she worked fast or got back outside her growing anxiety would calm down.

"Did you spill something on it?" That was always a first guess. Some people were a bit clumsy afterall. Or they'd fall asleep on the long hyperspace journey's and accidently spill their drinks on the controls. Regardless, she didn't really see much wrong with it at first glance.

An idea struck her that would get her outside. "I should check the sensor array. Something might be on the antenna. Where's your service ladder and access panel?"

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"You'll have to make the trip sometime, it is truly a beautiful planet," Malum said idly, watching her work, seemed the news of the fall of Eliad had not reached this far out to space. She was trapped, and Malum could see that it was dawning upon her that she was trapped, though thankfully, it seemed that she had not yet considered him the trapper. Though from the looks, she was not far from making the connection, he would need to make his move soon, now, if possible. But really, for just a moment, he had to bask in what he had accomplished, completely unplanned he had been able to lure a Lightsider within his ship, and now she was unguarded and almost too simply within his grasp. If he was able to knock her out now, he could leave the Damascus Station with none the wiser, and her presence perhaps not noticed for a few hours, and even when it had been, with so many ships arriving and departing, with the Station so big, how could they know for certain where she was? Somewhere within the station? Or gone with the wind among the various craft that had come and again? Who would look to the Lochris and wonder if she was there?

"She sounds like a formidable woman," He idly said, moving behind her to get into a better position, hiding the motion as moving to check one of the rear cupboards. He'd move onto Yalara and deliver his bounty in hand, win Adeline's fav-, learn more of the Sangnir, and perhaps even be made one, though he was far from making a firm decision on that matter, "I'm sure I did not spill anything, I would likely have far larger problems if I did" He gave a slight chuckle, though within he was slightly fuming, how dare she, he was no fool, to simply drop some drink onto his control panel? That was one of the foolish things someone could do. He'd almost shiver at the thought of having to take apart the components to clean it all, well, of course, paying someone to do that, it was not like he had the technical know-how to do such, and moreover, such things were so evidently above him.

It was the question of the sensor array, that he realised she was getting far too close to the truth, indeed it seemed the former Queen was an as good mechanic as he had thought, there was indeed nothing wrong with his sensors. Though indeed if she was allowed to return outside of the ship, that fact would become far more evident to her than now, and more importantly.

He would lose his chance.

That would not do.

He opened his hands, as if gesturing towards her, "Ah yes, the service ladder and access pannel would be right over he-"

He cut himself off, as his red eyes began shining like rubies in the dark, as his fingers began to spark in flashes of light.

Before either could think, a storm of lightning erupted out of his fingers, its target.

A former Queen.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

As she figured, Darth Malum of House Marr didn't spill anything. Despite his chuckle, she could see in his eyes that he was slightly insulted by her question. But it wasn't as though she had meant to offend him. To her it was no different than a techy asking someone if they had turned their datapad or terminal off and on again.

But still, the sooner that she was out of the ship, the more comfortable that she'd feel.

And just as she was about to get her chance, things took a dangerous turn. As Malum's eyes glowed red, Lori's own eyes widened in realization that the warnings that she had felt were all about him.

She took half a step forward, only to be pushed back against the console as Force LIghtning struck her body. Never had she been struck by it before, the pain hitting first at her chest and then moving throughout her limbs. All that she could think of was the lightning itself as it erupted from his fingers. Without even thinking, acting purely on instinct she kicked at his right knee with her left foot, hoping that his concentration would be broken enough for her to move away from him.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

What was it with Lightsiders and kicking him in the knees?

He grunted as the lightning stream broke, a small limp forming as he backed away a few centimetres, but still kept consciously to the Force Stealth, his initial attack to break her within one move had failed, which meant he had to keep both of them hidden, lest she attempts to bring reinforcements. He was confident in his abilities to beat her, and maybe some guards, but the entire Station? At that point escaping may not even be a real possibility.

Reaching to his side, he felt the comfortable hilt of his lightsaber handle, pulling it forth, it ignited with a hiss as plasma erupted through the air. There was no denying it now if there ever had been, stood before the former Queen was a Sith. A rather agitated and frustrated Sith if his face was any indication, morphed into a scowl, and glaring at the woman before him.

With his free hand, he flowed the Force through his fingers, before it again burst forth, this time not in a stream of lightning, but something entirely invisible to those who were not Force sensitive, but even then, it was hard to see until it had struck. His goal was to push her against the wall, as his lightsaber pointed towards her.

"Loreena, surrender peacefully, in accordance with the code of conduct of the Sith Empire, if you surrender now you will be treated as honourable prisoner of war, otherwise, I am authorised to you use full force to bring you to heel," The sense of deja vu was not lost on him, he had done this before.

It was truly becoming a hassle to fulfill this bounty at this point.

The things he did for lo- knowledge.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Darth Malum of House Marr was pushed back by her kick, but not far enough for her to get by without being grabbed. She wanted to get to the other side of him so that at the very least she wouldn't be cornered.

Yet there was no time.

Hand-to-hand combat was something that she was trained in, and she was good at it. But it was never against Force Users. This was an entirely different animal altogether. This was the kind of fighting that eluded her due to her family pushing her away from the wars while they themselves fought against the Sith and others. Her father Veiere Arenais was killed, her mother dead and back again and her brother Caedyn Arenais presumed to be living a quiet life being a teacher in the ways of the Force on Mnemosyne. While Lori spent her time dealing with the affairs of business and being a figurehead of a now lost Empire.

And now that she was pushed backwards and virtually pinned, she wished that she had at least gotten in some training.

History too was repeating itself, for this was the second time in her life that she was told to surrender to the Sith Empire. Back then she knew that she was going to be used against her parents. But now this couldn't be the case. So what was she being targeted for this time?

Her options weren't very good. Especially in such a small space with a lightsaber's blade so close to her. Being struck by lightening also zapped her strength, riddling her skin with beads of sweat. Only one thing gave her hope and that was the long journey between Damascus and wherever the Sith Empire was lodged these days. It couldn't of been close. That would give her ample time to figure out some way to get out of this mess. She had her commlink with her, as well as her blaster and dagger. yet Malum's ships also had to have comms that she could find a way to access and call for help. He was also sure to have a stash of weapons. Oh yes, her mind was working a mile a minute figuring out multiple plans for her to try.

"Okay...OKAY!... " Lori slowly brought her hands up and linked her fingers behind her head. "I'm not even a part of your war. You're making a big mistake..."

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"We are at war with the entire galaxy..." Malum said solemnly, his blades pointing toward the former Queen, knowing with every second that went past that the advantage could swing towards her, "...We've always been at war with all." This time there seemed to be some sadness to his face, some anger before he snapped back towards solemnity, almost as if he had caught himself making a mistake, and forced himself back to the "correct" position.

"Surrender, and you will not be harmed... any more than you already have been," At that, he sounded somewhat abashed, but the request was made again regardless, this would be so much simpler if she just gave in, a protracted fight did not serve his interests, neither did it really for her. Sure, she would have the urge to try fight and flute, but it became more and more apparent though she was Force-sensitive, she did not have a lightsaber, nor seemed to counterattack with the Force. Odd, but he was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. For all intents and purposes, unless she was hiding some kind of weapon beneath her outfit, she seemed to be quite defenseless.

Had he essentially won then?

Maybe, but the battle was still on until she was restrained, he was not about to give up such easy prey due to arrogance.

Thus he maintained her against the wall, as he awaited her answer. A refusal would result in her dropping and another storm of lightning.

Until then, he pressed forth, resting the lightsaber near her neck, the threat supremely evident to both of them.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Well that's just....stupid..." To consider one at war with everyone all the time was not a good way to live. There would be no moments of peace. Lori recalled some of the Sith philosophy that stated that 'peace was a lie'. However that seemed more of propaganda than anything else. She was in the business of weapons and warships. Peace was bad for business. It slowed her profits down. But that didn't mean that she longed for war to continue for eternity.

There seemed to be a slight change in Darth Malum of House Marr . He wasn't as angry as he was moments earlier. Although she was still held up against the wall with his lightsaber too close for comfort. She didn't make it a habit to carry her own. It was tucked away in her quarters for safe keeping. She didn't need it for her life on Damascus. Or at least she had thought. No doubt her brother wouldn't of made the same mistake....

"You won't be able to get away with this....There will be people looking for me." Her bodyguard Arla would be one of them. She was sure that at any time now the woman would notice that she wasn't tinkering on her jetpack anymore. Surely her commlink would be pinged.

"I....yield....". At least for now. There was still much that she could do to ensure her freedom. She just had to be patient.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"Well that's just....stupid..."

Malum felt all at once the feelings of humour, shock, and disgruntled, he blinked once, then twice, all in an effort to make sure what he had heard was indeed what he had heard, and not some trick of the Force. But no, the situation was as it had been just mere moments ago, the woman was pressed against the wall, and her neck was exposed to the faintest heat of the buzzing hiss of his lightsaber. Yet still, she had the utter audacity to make an insult against him and his Order. He could not quite say if that was courage or stupidity. Perhaps it would hurt his head further to find that out.

"It is as so our creed says, 'Peace is a lie, there is only passion', without conflict, there is naught but stagnation, conflict forces one to better oneself. It forces change, growth, adaption, evolution… or death." Malum said, preaching faith to an atheist as if his words would change her mind on the matter, yet stating it as was his duty, perhaps if this one proved herself she might embrace the dark, and perhaps then become an unattractive proposition for Adeline. Perhaps. He doubted that would occur though, "Did your precious Elysian Empire fall due to infighting, or perhaps because there was no true conflict at all?" Malum said cruelly, turning his nose up at her.

"You won't be able to get away with this....There will be people looking for me."

Was that the truth? He would bet that it was, a former Queen she might be, but that meant she still likely had loyalists somewhere, who would put their necks out for her safety. Still, that only meant he would need to move quickly, lest fall to those royalists.

"I....yield...."

Music to his hears, he kept the lightsaber still close to her neck, as he approached, concentrating heavily to coordinate all the movements while still maintaining both the Push and Stealth, he could already feel the headache coming on, a telltale sign that he was growing more tired. Pulling out a force cuff, he moved toward her and then placed both her hands within the cuff's grasp.

Really, that was perhaps not necessary, she was a force user, that much was certain, but she had yet to use the Force against him... it was rather odd.

"I am glad you have seen sense, your Grace," Malum said simply, the cruelty passing with the knowledge that there would not be a fight today. Perhaps he should pad her down... and there went the unemotional mask, for that idea was one which he grew rather uncomfortable with, "I shall trust us to be civil then, are you carrying any items which I should be alerted of?" He was stalling for time, regardless of the answer, he would need to search her, but have that be delayed a few minutes, his mind begged him.

To think he was on a quest to the centre of the Ashlan Crusade, to think he had led the battle at Saijo.

This is what he was fearful of?

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori furrowed her brows as Darth Malum of House Marr began spouting out some of the Sith code. Much like every other religion or sect, she figured that everyone of them was right from a certain point of view. It all depended on whether or not one was looking at the whole picture or just one side of it.

She snorted as he had implied that the Elysium Empire had broken because of a lack of war. That wasn't it at all. Elysium had been involved in some of the wars. Yet the reason that it was no more was complicated. And being married into it through an arranged marriage just a few years ago, her understanding of the internal politics from what she was allowed to witness was very little. Lori just took it as it was, broken like her marriage had been. But now she had a chance of a new life with Var-Sulis .

That is when she was no longer a prisoner of war....

The cuffs were placed on her wrists and they were far different than what she had expected. They made her feel like less of herself. Internally she panicked, wondering if she'd be able to do one of her tricks to help her to gain the upper hand or to flee. Lori's jaw clenched as she tried to shove that worry aside. Maybe she'd be able to somehow slip her hands out of them...later. Now just wasn't the time. As it was she was still pressed up against the wall and could barely move.

And then he asked her about what she was carrying, more specifically anything that could be used against him. Lori just couldn't reveal everything. Weapons sure, but not her commlink. She needed to call for help. It wasn't as though she was gifted in telepathy, afterall.

"You saw my tools, which are in their case right there. I have a small blaster on my hip beneath my coat and...a dagger in my right boot. Other than my stubborn wit, that's about it....Are these cuffs really necessary? Once we're airborne, it's not as though I'm going to run away..." Even if she had a suit it would be too risky. Space was vast and even whole ships have been lost to it, never to be found.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"Having a prisoner determine the terms of her imprisonment would very much be a foolish idea," Malum said, as he approached her, allowing the Force Push to drop, as he darkened his blade and sheathed it by his side. It was still an awkward matter of searching her form that he had to handle, though she had announced what she carried on her, he could not take the enemy at their word. He resisted the flush, as he quickly parsed over her clothing, at the very least was not lying about the weapons she held, he found the small blaster by her hip, and the dagger by her boot, even the wit too, though that was safely within her head, and Malum had no desire to steal that from her.

Would make any engaging conversation within their flight to Yalara hard to find.

He deposited all the weapons in the compartment next to him, and still watching her, he brought his wrist commlink to his mouth.

"BB-9E start the engines and begin flying to Yalara." Malum said they would likely need to refuel at some point before arrival, seems that unfortunately, the peons on this station had not the time to refuel the Lochris. A pity, but he had gotten a much larger prize than some fuel, so he could not complain too much.

They could both feel the telltale signs of the starfighter's instability, as it pushed off the stable grounds, the screeching sound of the landing gear retracting back onto the ship, and then the powering up of the engines before the ship began its motion to leave the station through the hanger bay doors.

"Wish to make any last goodbyes to the Station, Your Grace?" Malum said, red eyes still on the former Queen.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"I'm not in prison yet, just your ship, and I haven't commited any crimes. I don't suppose that there'll be some kind of trial?" Lori's body slumped down a little once she was released from the wall. She made no quick movements as Darth Malum of House Marr took her weapons outside of lifting up her arms to give him better access.

She had no idea what the Sith did with PoW's these days. It could either be the same as when she was younger, or different. Back then all that she worried about was being enslaved and used against her parents. But now? Now there was nothing that she had that they could be after. Ransom, maybe?

The engines fired up and right away she looked out of the nearest viewport. Didn't anyone see her? Or were they too busy?

Lori tested the cuffs a little, twisting her wrists a bit as she continued to stare out of the viewport. "There are no goodbyes, only good journeys. I'll be back soon...." Once they left the hanger, she turned her attention back to the Sith. "So what do you get out of this? A promotion? Credits? Recognition? What's your angle?" The more information that she could gain about her situation; the better for her.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Malum was beginning to regret his words about engaging conversation, seemed it would be a constant back and forth of moralising vs justification, and that could get very boring very fast if it did not get frustrating first, he supposed, "If you must know, there is a bounty, though don't get your hopes up too much, it was on Lightsiders in general," To think, that he had the luck to find one of the Lightsiders that were both that, and royalty, the more thought he gave to it, it did not make any more sense. It was almost as if the Force had ordained this encounter, which was a very troubling idea indeed.

The Force flowed through him, as it flowed through her, yet there was a darkness to his, while there was light to hers, but the wider Force, the one felt across the Galaxy, what was that? And why had it troubled itself enough to put them on a collision course with another?

Perhaps he was overthinking it, perhaps it had just been good luck, indeed he had kidnapped a royal without alerting anyone or causing any alarm, and that meant this bounty would be fulfilled rather quickly, that was a good thing, was it not?

Even if he could easily say that even if Loreena was the enemy, that she did not deserve the fate that Malum was delivering her to. He had the Force taken away from him before, and that had led to him transforming into a different person entirely, what would happen to one that lost their soul?

That did not warrant thinking about.

"Rather confident you will be back, aren't you?" Malum said with a small smile, he could appreciate the confidence, the faith, even if it was not warranted, she would not be back here, her grave would be at Yalara.

Perhaps he could bring her remains back here... at least that way her words would not be lies.

"Treat this ship as your prison, and things will go more smoothly. Unfortunately, there is no crime you committed, apart from not being Sith. For that crime... well I will not say there is no path to redemption, you could join us after all." It was unfair, that her only crime was not being Sith, indeed that was a crime most of the Galaxy shared, but for her Lightside nature, she had been picked out specifically.

There was a loophole there he supposed if she was smart enough to take it. Turn to the Darkside, the bounty would become moot. Perhaps he could train her as well, he was but an apprentice, but he knew of the darkness, and there had been other apprentices who had trained others. Perhaps that would be the path to her salvation.

Malum did not hold his breath.

The ship left Damascus Station, reaching the point where the hyperspace drive became active, they were about to jump into hyperspace.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun