Just Enjoy The Moment [Ask To Join]

[Miss Blonde]

[media] https://youtu.be/ppzTFgwZxhc [/media]​

Via. A planet that hadn't seen war or death on a mass scale. A small and secluded world never having to fall under the control of a galactic power or criminal organization. It was out of the way of everything, and even though Miss Blonde knew of its existence and it's untapped potential. She did nothing about it. Via was beautiful, and it deserved to stay that way. With all the ugly in the galaxy, it was a nice place to get away from it all. So that's why it was the choice for the talks between the underworld and the remnant, no matter how official or unofficial they might be. If anything, it was a nice little spot to just stop fighting even for a few minutes.

On the rolling beaches of Via a lone imperial shuttle touched down nearby and from it, the ramp would lower letting in fresh air. Not that the majority of the passengers needed to breathe, but one of them did. Taken from Void Station, a Chiss known as [member="Desmond C'artyom"] was brought to Miss Blonde and was given a spare change of civilian clothing. It was best not to be seen in full armor while on a beach filled with people.

When Desmond decided to step down and take a look around, the local time would be a little past mid day and the weather was sunny with only a few clouds in the sky. He'd be able to stare at the waves of the ocean and smell the fresh salty air. All things considered it wasn't a bad location to talk peace, there were worse places. Perhaps he was expecting some dark and dimly light bar or warehouse, maybe even under a bridge. But to be honest, Blonde needed the scenery. She needed to get the images of blood and gore out of her mind.

A few meters away down on the beach coming into the Chiss' line of sight was a woman wearing a red sun dress, sandals, and atop her head she wore a large floppy wicker sun hat along with a pair of thick dark sun glasses to conceal her face. But one thing would stick out the most to him, her long flowing blonde hair that swayed slightly in the ocean breeze. It was her, it was Miss Blonde. No mask, no business suit, no guns. Just a woman under an umbrella laying in a tanning chair while sipping on a drink.

"Come on, have a seat Desmond. I won't bite." Blonde's voice echoed into Desmond's cybernetic enhanced brain and directed him to sit in one of the chairs near her. Her voice sounded different though, there was no robotic vocalizer that he was used to hearing. It sounded gentle, like that of a loving mother.

They could get started while waiting for [member="Darth Abyss"] to show up.

OOC PLEASE READ

Spoiler

I'm going to make this an ask to join public thread. Meaning if you think you can add more to the story then shoot me a message to join. However I need to make this clear. There will be NO FIGHTING in this thread. By no fighting I mean no giant fleets, NPC units, secret teams of commandos, assassins, etcetera etcetera. Small personal squabbles are ok within reason. That means no dragon ball z epic fights across the Galaxy. Thank you

 

[Desmond C'artyom]

Desmond C’artyom had fallen asleep long ago. He awoke to the lights within his cabin being turned on as a war droid made his entrance. “A change of clothing,” The droid said simply as it laid a folded stack of clothes at Desmond’s feet. The Chiss waited for the droid to leave the room before fully getting out of bed. He picked up the clothes and studied them appraisingly. Beach attire it would seem. A pair of All Day’s shorts, and a casual button up. It wasn’t fine silks, but Desmond never was one for style. His training as an agent had taught him to blend in, not stand out.

Desmond undressed from his non descript stealth cloak and changed into the casuals. He took a look at himself in a nearby mirror and felt like a new man. He slicked back his short black hair and winked at himself. “Smashing,” He said as he unbuttoned the shirt a little. He exited his room just as the ship set down. He made his way to the gang plank and found a droid waiting for him “You’ll need these,” It said as it handed him a pair of sunglasses. Desmond gladly accepted the shades and put them on.

He walked out to a moist beach and a sunny day. The breeze from the sea was just right and the smell of salt was heavy in the air. Then Desmond spotted a dashing figure sitting beneath an umbrella along the beach. She had flowing blonde hair and a red dress. Atop her head sat a large floppy hat and a pair of sunglasses. “Come on have a seat Desmond. I won’t bite,” Desmond smirked as the woman beckoned to him. “Yes [member="Miss Blonde"], But I do,” He said with a wink. He sat in the sun on her left and stared at the ocean for a moment. It was easy to forget they were enemies here...

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss stealth ship had made the way from the void station to Via close behind the shuttles [member="Miss Blonde"] had used to deploy her wardogs, landing far away enough from the beach to not get any weird looks for stepping out of an invisible starship. Like Blonde and her Chiss "guest", Abyss had decided to wear something a little less dramatic than his sith robe and mask. Instead he was shrouded in a grey shirt and black pants, for once even without a hood to hide his head. Still he wouldn't show his face around openly, so a scarf was wrapped around the lower half of his face, while his eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Thanks to his unnaturally pale skin he would likely appear as some exotic near human that was sensitive to sunlight.

Casually he made his way over the beach, keeping a low profile why doing so. Rarely was his sights caught by an eye, and even then most people simply gave him a mildly interested glance before returning their focus to more important matters. Blonde looked stunning as always, but for now it was strictly business. There were important things to be dealt with, and the first one was to have a "nice little chat" with the Chiss that had started the whole mess.

"You should be lucky that Blonde caught you before me. If I was calling the shoots on this, it would look far less sunny for you."

He kept his voice down but his tone left little doubt that he meant it, while descending down besides the Chiss, after greeting Blonde with a firm nod. The lack of romantic in this greeting was something he would make up to her afterwards. Allowing [member="Desmond C'artyom"] this level of comfort was a mistake in his opinion, but he would let her deal with this however she wanted. All he needed were a few answers anyway.

"There are a few questions I would like to have answered by the end of the day. But for now I will allow Blonde to do the talking."

While he couldn't allow all his power to fill the air of the beach freely, to not tip of any possible semi force sensitive around the area, he didn't clouded it completely. Instead he channeled it to touch the Chiss, like a cold, heavy hand that was held over his heart, seemingly draining the warmth away from this place. It had no real effect, besides reminding the man who it was he was dealing with right now.

 

[Miss Blonde]

"You'll allow me to do the talking?" Blonde's head turned to Abyss and what was expected to be a moment of anger was rather... well not angry.

"Oh, darling. You know I love it when you're so forceful. What's next? Will you make me put my hair up, wear pumps, and greet you with a martini and dinner when you get home?" Blonde let out a soft chuckle afterwards and Abyss would understand that she did truly love him. While normally she'd of ripped the tongue out of any man who said they'd "allow her to speak" he knew that she wouldn't flip poodoo on him and start a fight over something as trivial as that.

But after her little joke and the mildly romantic moment between the two, Miss Blonde adjusted herself in her seat and took a sip of some fruity tropical drink with tiny umbrella in it. After a few moments she let out a soft sigh and would speak to the Chiss directly.

"I had no idea that Christophsis was under the protection of the Imperial Remnant, I apologize for attacking. It was never my intention to damage our little unofficial business relationship." Blonde said with a genuine apologetic tone.

"That being said, your nation placed a five million credit bounty on my head for the act." she paused and then took another sip of her drink.

"But it's not the bounty that upsets me. I've had bounties on me since before the fall of the Republic. It's the fact that you got directly involved and stole from Darth Abyss, who happens to be in a relationship with me. Now if I were to steal from your hypothetical girlfriend or boyfriend or gender neutral chibi thing, try to kill you, massacre a few unwashed savages, you'd be more than a little upset as well I'd assume. Thus leads us to recent history and the attack on Void Station." Blonde paused as her mind flashed back to the carnage she ordered, and took another sip from her straw.

"I apologize for that unpleasantness. Imperials or not, people don't deserve to die over something like this. I want to cease all the fighting, the bounties, the death. War is bad for business. I'd like the two of us to be able to walk away from this with terms that would please your bosses, make you seem like the good guy." It was true, she was tired of fighting Imperials. She'd been doing it for years, way before this incarnation of the Remnant was even a thing.

Now it was Desmond's turn to do a little talking. Abyss was free to chime in and raise any concerns he might of had, and she'd always listen to his opinion.

[member="Darth Abyss"] [member="Desmond C'artyom"]

 

[Desmond C'artyom]

Desmond C’artyom sat on the beach for some time simply observing the sea. A comfortable silence had settled over the pair and now he simply waited to see what would come of it. He spied a school of large fish leap from the seas and it reminded him of his fishing trips on Kamino. Albeit the seas were much calmer here. Desmond was in the midst of pondering what a fishing trip would be like here in this tropical paradise when they were suddenly greeted by a darkly clad pale man. His skin was like porcelain, but his frame was anything but fragile. A dark aura emanated from him and Des felt a cold hand rest on his very being. Darth Abyss had arrived.

Des would merely smile at the man’s remark. “Duly noted,” The Chiss said. Blonde and Abyss. A dynamic duo of force users both adept in manipulations and shady dealings. They made for quiet the power couple and Des truly was rooting for them. He rather missed the days when he was but a lowly street urchin. Pulling heist right under some of the most powerful nations to have ever been. But, those days were far beyond him now. He was an agent in the Imperial Remnant, all buisness and silver tongue.

Blonde began to speak at Abyss’s discretion and Desmond listened to what she had to say. An apology for bombing cities with ships chock full of explosives seemed a little… Underated, but she sounded sincere and Desmond could care less about the people of Christophsis or their ass hat monarch. The galaxy had moved past kings and queens…

When Miss Blonde was well and done Desmond spoke. “I see the fault in stealing the tech from Abyss. It was brash and I am fully willing to compensate you in full,” He said speaking directly to the Sith. “It was a mission that should have been botched the moment my cover was blown,” But C’artyom always gets the job done “Regardless I too regret the loss of so many innocents. Name your price and it is yours,” The Chiss finished with a solemn look at abyss.

Then C’artyom looked to Blonde once more “As for the attack on Void Station, think nothing of it! Blood is oh so cheap you know! The bounties will be removed and a cease fire has been authorized. But, Beyond this I have a proposition for you and Abyss. A sort of alliance if you will,”

[member="Miss Blonde"]
[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"If you would cook me dinner when I come home from a "suicide mission", I would actually be very happy."

He chuckled at [member="Miss Blonde"], and the his tense muscles relaxed a bit. The words of the Chiss allowed Abyss to ease up, and with the wave of calmness that followed the dark grip faded. There had been no need for threats and violence, and while Abyss was very good at both those things it was a nice change of pace to not use them for once.

"You propose an alliance, and my price is something of similar nature."

He pulled his legs up and crossed them, allowing him to sit in the position he deemed to be the most comfortable one. The Chiss sought to make a deal, and Abyss was more than willing to make one. Killing people had its use, but manipulating their loyalties was a far better outcome in most situations.

"Face it, the empire you serve has no future. I presume that you already found use for the data you acquired on Malachor, some sort of alteration to the process of the Chambers right?"

If it was like Abyss believed, then [member="Desmond C'artyom"] held the key in his hands to become a very powerful, and very rich man some day, at least if he made the right moves now. Brainwashing was a complex, difficult process, and a true expert could achieve many things with it. For example switching the loyalty of an whole army from one second to another.

"I want you to continue the development of this tech, with one added feature. A failsafe that will allow us to control or deactivated anyone affected by it."

The real price that he had to pay to Abyss was not a technical solution, but treason. He knew little of the Chiss true goals and believes, but he was not in a position to disobey when the sith lord asked for something.

 

[Miss Blonde]

"At least buy him dinner before you try and fuck him dear." Blonde chuckled a bit and polished off her drink.

Setting it on the small table next to him, Blonde snapped her fingers towards a cabana boy and raised up three fingers to order more drinks. She would then turn her head back towards Abyss and Desmond, who both clearly needed coaching. They both suffered from the same problem, they were hasty. They wanted to stop killing each other and go straight to banging, now that in the criminal underworld was what was called a no-no. This was due to a few simple reasons. First was that the tensions were still high and bodies were still warm, simply saying "we're working together now" was just absurd. You had to build that bridge of trust. Second was who everyone here was. While Abyss and Blonde could trust each other, Blonde wasn't about to trust an imperial agent with all that much, and Abyss should of felt the same. Now Desmond probably wasn't going to take what a Sith Lord said at face value, he was a friggen Sith Lord after all.

Now as for Blonde, she wasn't opposed to an alliance, but that would have to be later down the line. Plus she was certain that his bosses would shoot that idea down in an instance. So they had to go a more subtle route. Blonde may of looked like she was in her early twenties thanks to anti aging technology, but she was pushing forty in reality. So she had been doing this for a long time.

"An alliance is not on the table right now I'm afraid. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I don't trust you. But we can work towards that, I am also willing to drop all bounties on the remnant, cease any and all operations within Remnant space, allow free and safe passage for all Imperial agents on criminal planets, and compensate your government with the excess stormtrooper armor that I have in my warehouses free of charge along with paying the life insurance policies of all troopers lost in operations against Syndicate. I will of course wipe all operating systems and allow you to sweep for any tampering." Blonde then turned her head right as the cabana boy returned with the group's drinks.

They were brightly colored and smelled heavily of tropical rum and fruit, they probably tasted heavenly. The waiter sat the drinks down and Blonde promptly tipped the man with a hundred credits. The cabana boy then took a bow and walked away back to the straw Hutt bar a bit further up the slope.

"But just because an alliance can not be made at this time does not mean we can't help one another out under the table. Your emperor is a bit of a hot head and you'll need to take more than some stormtrooper armor and a bit of money away from this in order for him to agree. So I recommend the two of you flush out this VR tech, the remnant can use it to pacify populations and Abyss can use it for whatever spooky things he does when I'm not home. However this will strictly be between the three of us, Graf needs to believe that Desmond is responsible for this breakthrough and that we simply gave him the missing information to help this dev along. Now Desmond if you truly want peace, then I suggest that you be cautious. Abyss and I are very dangerous people, and if we are to assist you in secret then you must be weary that we are not to be crossed anymore." Things were going better than she thought at least.

Taking her own drink, the woman took a long sip from a straw before staring out at the ocean. It reminded her of home, her little island paradise. She really needed to back once this was over.

I think your emperor can agree to a complete ceasefire along with the benefits of letting his agents travel to planets to where most info brokers live, not to mention the further development that you and Abyss spoke of. Sounds like a fair deal." It was a rad deal.

[member="Desmond C'artyom"] [member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Desmond C'artyom]

Desmond felt the sand between his toes. The gritty feeling was somehow therapeutic. Something he didn’t experience often. Serving the IR didn't offer many benefits and vacation time was not among the chief few. As an agent Desmond got to visit hundreds of exotic places, but hardly ever for simply pleasure. Allying with a criminal syndicate would seem to have its benefits. It occurred to the Chiss that committing high treason though would be detrimental for his health. But, like all officials in a totalitarian state Desmond decided it wasn't bad to have a small insurance policy.

“You assume correctly Darth,”

What the Imperials were doing with the technology acquired from the dream chambers was nigh revolutionary. They were bringing back the dead. Uploading new consciousness into the vacant brains of the deceased. But, despite the breakthroughs in technology they kept facing one problem. The dead could not be controlled and they fed. On everything…

“I can promise you a fail safe, but it will be difficult. Thus i’d require a monetary sum of money to assist in my endeavour,”

What the Chiss was asking for was a bribe plain and simple. He was not about to commit high treason for free. Still he could see no use for the tech and no real harm in installing the failsafe. The only people he thought it may effect were the inquisitors who so highly desired it. Only followers of the dark side would wish to unleash such monstrosities on the populace… Desmond turned his head and studied Blonde carefully as she spoke.

“A shame an alliance could not be made. Perhaps soon we will be able to look past the differences that divide us. Your offer of armor is gladly accepted and I thank you on behalf of the Imperial military for your generous donation,”

The three were then approached by a young lad who brought them brightly colored drinks. Des accepted his drink graciously and inhaled the fumes from the cup deeply. Rum. He preferred whiskey, but the Chiss wasn't one to pass up on a free drink. He drank it greedily in large gulps and was pleasantly rewarded with a slight buzz. The thought occurred to him that the drink might have been poisoned, but it bothered him not. The Imperial Remnant would simply clone him and upload his subconscious from his cybernetics into his new self. It wasn't painful and had already been done three times. Another perk of the job. A curse and gift.

“Of course Blonde. I concede to your greater power and I can see where helping one another would prove beneficial for all involved. I will not betray you or your precious gem again,”

Blonde mentioned the hot headedness of the infallible Emperor and Des nearly scoffed. This was quite an understatement. The man was a megalomaniac who viewed himself as a god. While crazed and misguided Des would follow him to the grave. He had no choice, but still to the end nonetheless.

“You are correct in keeping our affairs secret. Should the Emperor or one of his hands find out it would be disastrous for all involved. As for your terms. I accept on behalf of the Empire,”

[member="Miss Blonde"]
[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Agent C'artyom, I would advise you to not misjudge your position here."

The calmness passed as quick as it took hold of Abyss, and the darkness of a sith lord shrouded him once more. [member="Miss Blonde"] had offered him a pretty good deal, a once in a lifetime deal to be precise, and yet the Chiss felt like he could demand something. The only reason why Abyss didn't simply killed he agent and continued with his life was the respect he held for Blonde and her decisions, but his patience had limits. He could kill the Chiss here and now, with nothing but his bare hands, and then continue his path of revenge right to the throne of this "Emperor", but he didn't because Blonde asked him to remain civil.

"Normally I would cut of your head for demanding a bribe in this situation, but for the sake of diplomacy I will instead make you a counteroffer."

The sith closed his eyes, after refusing the drink offered to him. That, combined with his meditative stance, already told that he planned something that [member="Desmond C'artyom"] wouldn't like.

"If I give you money, I will need something else in return. We have nothing to make sure that you hold your end of this little deal, and I would like to change that."

A cruel grin danced over his face, but due to the scarf it was unseen on the outside. He had the prefect idea what kind of barging chip he wanted from the imperial agent, something so personal and precious to him that he had little doubt that the Chiss would stand to his word.

"I want a memory in return, one that has meaning to you. In case you betray us, it will be forever lost. And make no mistake, I will take that memory with or without your cooperation."

To underline his words, Abyss allowed the Chiss, and Blonde which was to close and to well connected to the force to not feel it, to gain a glimpse of the mental power he held back day for day. For just a second Desmond would feel as the not so metaphorical abyss would open, threatening to consume the man's mind in one bite. There was the hunger he kept hidden for the most part, a animalistic power that raged on within him.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Agent C'artyom, I would advise you to not misjudge your position here."

The calmness passed as quick as it took hold of Abyss, and the darkness of a sith lord shrouded him once more. [member="Miss Blonde"] had offered him a pretty good deal, a once in a lifetime deal to be precise, and yet the Chiss felt like he could demand something. The only reason why Abyss didn't simply killed he agent and continued with his life was the respect he held for Blonde and her decisions, but his patience had limits. He could kill the Chiss here and now, with nothing but his bare hands, and then continue his path of revenge right to the throne of this "Emperor", but he didn't because Blonde asked him to remain civil.

"Normally I would cut of your head for demanding a bribe in this situation, but for the sake of diplomacy I will instead make you a counteroffer."

The sith closed his eyes, after refusing the drink offered to him. That, combined with his meditative stance, already told that he planned something that [member="Desmond C'artyom"] wouldn't like.

"If I give you money, I will need something else in return. We have nothing to make sure that you hold your end of this little deal, and I would like to change that."

A cruel grin danced over his face, but due to the scarf it was unseen on the outside. He had the prefect idea what kind of barging chip he wanted from the imperial agent, something so personal and precious to him that he had little doubt that the Chiss would stand to his word.

"I want a memory in return, one that has meaning to you. In case you betray us, it will be forever lost. And make no mistake, I will take that memory with or without your cooperation."

To underline his words, Abyss allowed the Chiss, and Blonde which was to close and to well connected to the force to not feel it, to gain a glimpse of the mental power he held back day for day. For just a second Desmond would feel as the not so metaphorical abyss would open, threatening to consume the man's mind in one bite. There was the hunger he kept hidden for the most part, a animalistic power that raged on within him.

 

[Miss Blonde]

Miss Blonde let out a very soft but mildly frustrated sigh. Between the imperial agent and her boyfriend measuring their collective junk size, she felt like she needed to continue to step in and ensure that talks would continue to go well. Or at least as well as they could go. She knew Atton was mad, and that he wanted his own slice of revenge against the Chiss. She loved him and of course would not deny him that, it was his right within the criminal underworld. So before things got too heated what with the slicing off heads and memory stealing talk, Blonde spoke.

"I will pay for your research and development, Imperial." Blonde said putting emphasis on calling him what he was, a grey coated yes man.

"But let's make one thing clear. I've run many companies and businesses, and when I don't get results from my investments I tend to fire people. Now since that was the business world, it was more figurative. But since this is the underworld you can take the word fire as being literal. As in I will go to Csilla, find your ancestral home, and burn to the fucking ground with you in it. Now we've learned that I don't make empty threats, and I really really don't like flexing or making them. I just want you to be aware of the consequences. So just send me the bill and I'll fund it." Blonde would then focus her eyes on Abyss, and even though the large rimmed dark glasses covered them. Abyss could tell there was angelic blue fire staring at him, not out of anger towards him, just frustration that he kept threatening the Chiss more than he had to.

Desmond knew Abyss' reputation, he knew what he was capable of. But Blonde's eyes relaxed as her mouth flipped into a coy grin.

"As for what my love said, I'm afraid I can't stop him from doing what he said. You stole from him, and he now is within his right to take something precious from you. Resist if you must, I doubt it would mean much in the end. Throw away our progress towards peace as well, but my hands are tied. The seven laws dictate he is to have his revenge. But until then we have a deal." Blonde let out a chuckle then continued to look out at the sea.

"Besides, if we didn't have laws." Lifting her drink, the woman pressed it up against her lips.

"We'd be savages." Taking a subtle sip of her drink, Blonde left Desmond to his fate.

[member="Desmond C'artyom"] [member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Desmond C'artyom]

Desmond noticed the change in the Sith lords demeanor almost immediately. He once more felt the cold grip his spine and shake him to the bones. The man seemed to grow angry at Des’s request. The Chiss couldn't fathom why, surely such a trivial matter as money was nothing to these criminal lords. But, alas it seems their wealth did not stretch as far as Desmond imagined.

Abyss agreed to pay the investment but, in exchange for a memory. It seemed such a small matter to Desmond, but he merely shrugged. He tried to think of his best memory and wondered how the Sith would go about extracting it from him. The vision of a girl flashed before his eyes and Des thought it funny that it should be the one. The lover he had taken from him. The reason he fought for the Empire. He wondered how he would know to save her once he forgot. His heart became heavy as the full weight of the Siths actions became apparent.

But, Miss blonde spoke once more and agreed to pay him the bribe. She made idle threats, but the Chiss knew he would make good on his part. Then Miss Blonde did something most peculiar. She rescinded her protection and agreed to allow Abyss to work his magics on Desmond’s mind. She spoke of rules which Desmond found quite ironic, since she herself was a lawbreaker. He merely nodded as if he understood the complexities of the criminal mind. It dawned on Desmond that this was not about money now. It was revenge for Malachor.

“Very well Darth. I am ready,” Des said as he layed back in the sand and stared up at the blue sky.

“Will it hurt?” he asked quietly

[member="Miss Blonde"]
[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Not if you do not resist. Open your mind."

There was a bit of disappointment in his voice when he realized that the Chiss would willing give him the memory, robbing him of a reason to shatter the man's mind into pieces before going to work. But an open mind also had advantages, especially when it came to a more surgical manipulation of thoughts and memories.

The darkness of Abyss mind transformed, the maelstrom that had threatened to eat away the mind of [member="Desmond C'artyom"] became a scalpel, one that began to make small cuts in the Chiss head. It took him only a second to stumble of the memory of the girl that the man held close to his heart, and with the precision that came with years of experience he slowly erased parts of the memory, after stealing it from the Chiss beforehand. He didn't meant it to be completely gone, but while he would be able to remember what it meant to him, and what he felt because of it, he would be unable to find the memory itself.

"Do what was asked of you, and you will gain what you lost. Until then I will keep it safe."

The idea was that the Chiss would remember who he was, but without knowing a key event that explained the why behind who. It was meant to slowly haunt the man's mind, losing a small piece of sanity every day while trying to understand what path had let him where he was. In his opinion it was a very effective way to chain a possible ally to his commands.

"Then your debt is paid, Chiss. Never "forget" what your mistake did cost you."

[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

Their business was concluded and hopefully they would have peace. Blonde was still weary that Graf would only want destruction, but if push came to shove they had an ace up their sleeve. They now had some small form of leverage and they could use that to exploit weaknesses within the remnant to create large openings to strike at. It wasn't something she wanted to do, but she was prepared for non the less. Though with their business concluded, she reached into her bag and grabbed a small datapad. Using it she swiftly wired funds for the stormtroopers and dropped any bounties from the remnant, she was a woman of her word after all and once all that was taken care of she had the droids aboard the shuttle wipe the nav core and system drives. She'd rather not give Desmond a shuttle with a detailed travel history.

"We're done here." Blonde said with a friendly smile.

Setting the datapad back in her bag, she quickly pulled something else out. It seemed to be some kind of a badge and keycard. With it in hand she passed them over to Desmond with the warm smile of a mother, very different than the woman who had just threatened to burn down his ancestors home with him inside it. When she wanted to be, Blonde was a very caring person and after what Desmond had just been through she understood if he needed a little time.

"That's a weekend VIP pass to the resort you see behind us, I've booked you a presidential suite and I expect you to relax. These talks were very stressful and time consuming after all, you were negotiating for two days straight in a cramped basement in some shady bar after all. Take the shuttle home when you're done." Blonde then stood up with her bag and moved over towards Abyss.

The small four foot eleven woman grabbed her lover's hand and smiled at him lovingly. She was happy that at least for the moment, this was over. Even if the peace lasted two days, she was happy to just enjoy it for what time they had.

"Come on, dear. I made you a bet involving you making it home safe and a certain dress that I'm wearing." Yeah... that meant what Desmond thought it did.

With Abyss in hand she wanted to get out of there and go home. Or at least to a more secure and private location. If Abyss wanted to talk about her feelings, well he would have time to ask.

[member="Desmond C'artyom"] [member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

It was beyond him why [member="Miss Blonde"] showed such a level of friendliness towards [member="Desmond C'artyom"], and it tied into the thing that he had become worried about when he hit the Void Station. She was a smart woman when it came to business, and she saw violence as useless compared to a good deal. That by itself wasn't problematic, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was going soft. Not Patricia, but her Blonde persona and that concerned him greatly. The mask was there to make sure that she could shield herself from the things she had to do to some degree, and in losing it, she would also lose the attributes that made Blonde as effective as notorious. Ruthless, violent and feared, these things allowed her to stay on top of this game.

Being dragged behind her, he did his best to feel happy about her comment and that he made it back from his mission to her, but his mind wasn't known for slowing down much, even if he wanted it to. The thought of her going soft didn't frightened him because he needed that side of her, which he respected and enjoyed but certainly not loved, but because he feared what could happen to her if it became true. Yet he continued behind her in silence, trying to look happy with the bit of face that was visible behind the scarf and sunglasses. There were to many eyes and ears to talk freely anyway, so he could keep his thoughts to himself a bit longer, which gave him time to think of an good way to approach all this. Not that he didn't tried to come up with one on the way here, but he was yet to find one that didn't made him sound like the worst boyfriend ever.

"Everything alright?"

That was the best he could do. He was known to be somewhat charismatic, a man that had often made words his weapons, a man that had rallied former enemies under one banner, or that broke the loyalty of an adversary mid battle, but when it came to her he was always lost for words to say. They weren't yet in a space where they could speak completely freely, but he was sure that she knew why he asked her such a simple question.

 

[Miss Blonde]

"Everything alright?"

No. Everything was not alright. They hadn't been alright for a very long time. She'd lost two husbands, killed thousands of people, and she couldn't even look her children in the eyes to tell them what she did for a living. She was the furthest thing from alright, and what was worse, that was the first time anyone has asked her that question in years. Everyone always assumed she was good, that she was calm and collected. She was Miss Blonde and she was invincible, able to outwit her opponents and be this infallible wall of pride and confidence.

But she wasn't. She wasn't any of those things. She was just tired, she was so damn tired.

So when Abyss asked that question she froze where she stood. They were a ways away from Desmond now and there were very few people around this part of the beach. Those two words turned the invincible crime lord into nothing, her walls were down and everything came pouring out. From behind her Abyss wouldn't be able to see it, but hot tears ran down her cheeks and dripped down to the sands below them.

$&#%!!! @&$%!!! $#%*!!!" Patricia screamed words deemed too inappropriate for this site.

She swiftly fell to her knees and the warm sand cushioned the impact. But it wasn't over, her small fist hit the ground hard over and over again as she continued to yell out towards the ocean. She was having a meltdown. Years of regret and pain finally bubbling their way to the surface. She had known so many good people, people who deserved to live. But they died, and they were gone forever. Her tortured soul was still here despite her not deserving it, and she knew many of those deaths were because of her.

"I'M NOT $&@#ING OK!! I'M NOT!!" With her glasses and hat falling off she hunched over and pressed her forehead to the sand as she cried.

There were a few moments of silence and then she spoke once more.

"Just hold me, Atton. Please just $#%@ing hold me." she said in a very saddened and depressed tone.

[member="Desmond C'artyom"] [member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

There was no need to see the tears, it was like Abyss could clearly hear them in the tone that her voice held when she spoke. He had seen her being Patricia, he had seen her being emotional, but this was a whole other level. Over the time he had his own fair share of breakdowns, but as it was the nature of a sith, they rarely involved crying and sadness. He wanted to talk to her, make sure that she understood how dangerous this was and a number of other things that wouldn't be considered very sensible, but that desire died down once she asked him to just hold her. Worry was replaced by something else, it was pain that he felt when seeing her like this.

He descended to his knees besides her, his right arm light resting on her back while his hand began to caress her head and playing with her hair. There we no words that he could say, nothing came to his mind no matter how hard he thought about. Someone else would've probably said something along the lines of "I know how you feel, it will be alright", but the truth was that he had no idea how she felt and if it would be alright. They shared many things, that was why they became lovers, but there was still a great divide between them. Abyss had been carefully crafted by the sith to never really feel regret or remorse over his actions, and even love had not changed that.

"Patricia."

Words were meaningless anyway, so Abyss left it at saying her name with the most comforting tone he was capable of. His right moved away from the back of her head to her face, brushing away any tears that he could find.

"We will find a way. We always do."

It sounded like an empty phrase, but Abyss meant it. They were powerful, and somehow they would find a way to get her through this, and he would do everything he could to make her feel better about herself.

[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

It felt nice, knowing Abyss was there with her. His presence as dark and unholy as it was, it was comforting to her. She didn't want to live in the light, she enjoyed the darkness and the comforts that came with it. So when Abyss simply held her, she dug into him and remained where she was. Why exactly was this happening though? Well unlike Abyss, Patricia wasn't molded by the Sith. She was born a party girl on Zeltros who lived a carefree life until she was kicked out and forced to join the Republic. She had virtues of good and honor instilled in her, to uphold the law and fight the darkness. There were even times when Abyss and Patricia were even enemies on a battlefield.

So when she went under into the path of guns, violence, and crime. After almost two decades of it, it all just snapped when she saw that War Dog beat a stormtrooper to death and kill all his friends. So she cried, and even though she felt this regret, this pain, she had to hold on to it. Because that pain, those choices, they were who she was now.
A collective of mistakes, but without them she would of never met Abyss. And for that she was thankful.

She looked at Abyss' covered face as he played with her hair and wiped her eyes, his words were true and she knew that everything would work out in the end. With a heavy sniff, Patricia's tears lessened and she wrapped her arms around him in a deep embrace.

"Let's go home." Patricia said in a very soft voice that really meant "Carry me to the ship"

But all things considered, after putting up with years and years of pain and regret. Abyss could at least bridal carry her to his ship so they could go home. She only weighed a hundred and ten pounds after all.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

When her tears began to fade, Abyss caught himself smiling slightly below his scarf. They really had come a long way to find each other, crawled through violence, dirt and death, only to find love in the end. He believed in fate, and every time the galaxy allowed them to be together he was reminded why. From an outside perspective this whole relationship was so utterly ridiculous, so unrealistic that half of their enemies wouldn't believe it if they told them. He rose to his feet, and extended his arms to pick her up, or at least he pretended to, while forcing himself to breath heavily as if he was doing something particularly exhausting. After lifting her only barley a centimeter into the air, he placed her placed her back on the ground, shaking his head in fake disbelief.

"Sorry. I am not strong enough."

To not let this little joke become an insult, he quickly allowed the laugh he had held back to come out of his mouth, while lifting her up into the air a second time, this time with obvious ease. She was probably the smallest and lightest real crime boss in the whole galaxy, at least if there wasn't a jawa or ewok somewhere running guns and drugs on a massive scale. And honestly, if that was the case, one of them would've probably heard that by now.

"You said something about dinner earlier?"

He said while walking through the sand, [member="Miss Blonde"] held tightly in front of his chest. If someone would've told the other guests on the beach who was just passing by, that someone would've ended up in a mental ward for server delusions.

While there were other enjoyable ways to spend time with Patricia, dinner sounded exceptionally good right now. Running a black ops on a imperial spacestation didn't left him much to time to have a snack. Also Blonde had a way better taste for these things than him, ans without her he would've still been eating nutrient bars day in and day out.

 

[Miss Blonde]

Through the drying tears, Blonde let out a soft chuckle mixed with a cry. It was sign enough that the Sith Lord had broken through her sadness and made her smile if only for a moment. As her tears continued to fade, she clung tight to Abyss as he held on to her and carried her. It didn't take her long to rest herself on Abyss and lay her head down on his shoulders, she was wiped out. Pre operation planning, execution, and talks along with that emotional breakdown had left her emotionally and physically drained. Right now all she wanted was to just get some dinner with her boyfriend and go home, that was the plan at least.

When they approached the ship and Abyss had pointed out the idea for dinner, she didn't respond. She was just happy, she was happy from the little mundane fact that Abyss wanted to have dinner with her as much as she did with him. There wasn't anything particularly special about it, nor would they end up doing anything flashy, more than likely Blonde would just have them stop at a McYoda's and get something to go. It was just that she was happy to see Abyss want to eat something more than just rations and to do so with her.

So as the ramp dropped and the dark lord holding her crossed the thresh hold, she didn't bother to tell him how happy she was to hear that, she didn't even really want to. They shared enough between the both of them just by being around one another. No, instead she'd end this with just three simple words.

"I love you." Then the ramp closed, and this long day was finally over.

[member="Darth Abyss"]