Knowing The Unknown (Tiana Feriss)

[Judas of Vahl]

Knowing The Unknown​

Fleet Headquarters, Rattatak​

@[member="Tiana Feriss"]​

​

The black-clad figure of a large man fixated himself in a chair at the end of the long, wooden table. That man, one of importance, was dressed nicely in his black-grey uniform along with bits and pieces of his company's newly developed armor system. The armored uniform was dubbed the "Legionnaire Battle Armor", which was to double as a uniform when stripped of its protective exoskeleton, making an extremely versatile clothing arrangement for the seemingly endless swarms of legionnaires, crewmen, and offices that peppered the landscape around the headquarters.

However, the men stationed on Rattatak were supplied quite nicely with all of the latest gear and armaments. This was not to say of planets surrounding the fortress world. Other planets with their garrisons were ill-equipped with outdated weaponry, armor, and vehicles. This was what not to do when expecting efficiency out of a modern military and things had to change quickly if the government and military was to survive. The only problem that faced Lord Admiral Dranok Lussk and his staff was the exasperating lack of cargo crewers. What limited freighters and cargo vessels the fleet fielded were endlessly sweeping back and forth across Fringe space in a desperate attempt to keep such a large military supplied. It wasn't enough.

To combat this growing lack of freighters, the Lord Admiral had broadcasting a long range frequency along with a fairly long advertisement to all shippers and captains who wanted to earn a quick credit or two. The job was easy enough. Load supplies into vessel with help from legionnaires, travel safely through Fringe protected space, make the delivery, and then go home. Of course, the new employee of the Fringe government didn't have to leave, in fact, most preferred to stay and did. Those who stayed were quickly swept up by the military, though.

And now the Lord Admiral was at it again. Broadcasting and waiting for some of them to show up.

((Go ahead and assume that you've landed on the planet if you'd like.))

 

[Tiana Feriss]

Tiana had been dozing with her feet up on a table while slouched down in a chair when Duke had blatted a wake-up in her ear. She span round in the chair and booted him as her legs went past, "I was dozing, not in coma you green-and-white garbage pail." The exchange had taken place many times over the years, neither of them took it personally any more. The R5 unit wobbled but maintained balance before going off on a bleep filled rant, he trundled off to the cockpit of the YV-929 they lived and worked in.

Tiana dragged herself up on her feet, work had been thin recently and she hoped that whatever had made the astromech so excited - for him - would turn out to be better than the last job he'd picked up over the comm. The hold had only just lost the stench.

As she dropped into her pilot chair she brought up the message being broadcast and smiled. Turning round to Duke she patted the flat head, "Nice one."

* * * * *​

So it wasn't all good news, it was the Lord Admiral himself who was looking for transports but a job was a job and she needed work, as Duke had repeatedly pointed out. Chances were she would never have to meet him face to face anyway. For a fortress world it had been remarkably easy to gain access to and land on but then she figured they would have intel on her ship and what to expect.

Duke had tried to follow her down the ramp as she disembarked but she waved him back in, "Stay on board and deal with anyone who tries to get on board without my permission. I know they're military but that just makes them legitimate not trustworthy." He had complained about always being left behind and never getting any action, "Be careful what you wish for Duke, you scream at the threat of danger." He squawked an indignant response and she trotted down the ramp chuckling.

 

[Judas of Vahl]

The Lord Admiral kept his elbows resting upon the table, his fingers busily tapping away at the small datapad he held. The large man was looking over various reports that his staff and other officers had relayed pertaining to the supply shortage of late. The majority of the reporting personnel swore that they dispatched numerous transport missions to their sectors of governance, however some of these such missions went missing. It was a wonder that these reports weren't dealt with already or reported to their commanding officer.

Dranok gave a huff of air as he continued reading through, more than just displeased with his staff. A flurry of anger gave way into his bloodstream, almost resulting in his datapad being crushed to pieces as the Lord ground his teeth. The man gave another heavy sigh and dropped the pad onto the table with a clunk as durasteel met wood with a smack. A moment later his wrist comlink beeped.

"Lord Admiral, one of the cargo crewers has arrived. Shall we escort her?"
He keyed the mic, "Yes, bring her directly to me."
"Yes, sir."

@[member="Tiana Feriss"]

 

[Tiana Feriss]

Tiana almost had to skid to a stop as she bounded off the ramp, immediately before here were the 'welcoming committee'. She had met Hutts more welcoming. Serious faces, serious uniforms and serious posture - she hoped that the message hadn't been a trap, that would be disappointing. They had the effect of immediately sobering her smug self-satisfaction from getting one over on the droid.

"I hear you're hiring," she tried a smooth smile on the leader of the small group. It had no effect and she swore silently, infernal military training. An off-duty crewman was an easier target, especially if they had been imbibing some of the native brew, but when on-duty they were solid and nigh unbreakable. He received a message from someone and he nodded at the others with him, instantly they surrounded her.

"The Lord Admiral wishes to see you," he smiled back at her. It was a neutral smile, one intended as a gesture of pleasantry while not necessarily feeling it. Tiana felt her stomach fall as a little bit of fear and dread crept over her. She pulled up her collar and pulled her bangs down over her face a little further as they walked through the corridors. As escorts went they were not too bad, this time at least she had not been put in binders.

As they approached the door that was clearly their destination she took a deep breath and calmed herself, there was no way he would know... could know... who she was. Her escort flanked her, standing either side of the door as the leader of the group gave a small bow and pressed the button on the door. There was a voice from inside and the door opened revealing a tall man, blondish hair and clearly irritated at something. Well, too late now, she thought to herself as she smiled and stepped into the room.

"Tiana Feriss, Lord Admiral. I believe you have a job vacancy?"

@[member="Dranok Lussk"]

 

[Judas of Vahl]

A few beeps came from the outside of the door. Dranok could feel their presences through the walls, his senses poking and prodding at their minds and souls as one of the men in the lead jammed his thumb at the wall console to open the door. The Lord's golden eyes lifted from the datapad on the table to the trio entering the room. The two on the outer edges of the group were easily distinguishable as legionnaires of Dranok's legion, the 119th. His gaze found their ranks easily as well as their nameplates. Optio Runoa Hook and Legionnaire Reese Thyma, Dranok recognized their names as being added to his security detail. He gave the pair of them a nod before address the superior of the two, Optio Hook.

"Hook, would you mind fetching me Prefect Dallows and Centurion Gwhekk?"
"Not at all, sir."

The young man threw up a salute and turned to leave the other two. Ah yes, the third of the group. The odd one out. The Lord eyed her up and down, offering a tight smile as she introduced herself. Upon her words, Dranok rose from his seated position and made his way to her. The large man finally found himself in the presence of her an offered a scarred hand.

"Indeed. It's a pleasure, Miss Feriss."

@[member="Tiana Feriss"]

 

[Tiana Feriss]

Looking him up and down the similarities were obvious. Side by side the two men would be hard to tell apart except for the age difference. She shook off the thought as he stood. He was even taller than she had expected with eyes that felt like they could bore down into your soul and burn it if the mood took him. A little hesitantly Tiana took the offered hand and shook it, the scars textured the grip somewhat. Imperial Military precision at its finest, short and to the point while still being polite, no time to waste words.

When he released her hand she let it fall back to her side and she looked around the room, "Nice office you have, real wood too? Impressive. Privileges of rank huh?"

She moved around him to run her hand over the wooden surface of the desk, glancing at the datapad to see if she could see anything useful on it. Reports, nothing vastly interested as far as she could tell from a brief look. She turned round and leaned back on the desk, both hands supporting her and crossing her feet at the ankles, "So are we waiting for... who was it? Dallows and Gwhekk before we begin?"

Tiana was pushing things a little and she knew it but she also wanted to make it perfectly clear that she was not military and not to treat her as such. Getting orders to take cargo from A to B was one thing, wearing uniform, marching and following every order blindly was something else. There was only one kind of salute she would give and it was not generally appreciated by the recipient. At the moment though she knew not to overstep her boundary too far and smiled sweetly.

@Dranok Lussk

 

[Judas of Vahl]

The Lord kept his golden glare upon the girl as the remaining legionnaire, Reese Thyma, gave the Admiral a nod and returned to his position flanking the door on the outside. Dranok barely gave the man a glancing look, his energies were too focused on the other individual in the room. Her presence seemed...familiar. The large man couldn't place a finger on it. He merely just allowed his extra sense to warp its shadow-shrouded self around her figure, poking and prodding at her presence in a vain attempt to identify her. His darkness would cloud her mind, make her focus, make her stronger.

"No, it was a gift from a distant relative."

She had remarked on his slightly lopsided wooden table. Indeed it was a gift, from some far off relative whom he forgot the name of. He'd received it as a teen, although the young man really had no use for it. Now it served as the meeting ground of an entire board of staff and their advisers. And now the smaller woman leaned against it, her face plastered with a soft smile and unblinking eyes aimed right at Dranok. Her face was one he recognized yet didn't know who exactly she was.

"And no, Dallows and Gwhekk have failed me." ​His words were emphasized by a stiffened jaw. "This is their last chance."

@[member="Tiana Feriss"]

 

[Tiana Feriss]

Tiana didn't know why but she was feeling more confident, despite the presence of the Lord Admiral whom she would ordinarily be more wary of. She shook her head as he described the reason for summoning the two others, "If you plan to have them kill me I won't go down without a fight and I doubt your uniformed pretty-boys will have fought as dirty as I have. If you plan for me to kill them to prove something to you, I don't kill unless I have to. The third option might be to stick them with me on any cargo hauling you have planned, I'll warn you in that case, my R5 has a foul temper and if they upset him I cannot guarantee they won't end up accidentally falling out of an airlock."

She was actually starting to enjoy this, he didn't come across as weak by any stretch of the imagination but it was nice to see that he was human. Yes that set jaw was familiar, she had seen something nearly identical before on another man who held himself in that way and tolerated failure just as well. She allowed herself a little grin at the thought.

Her train of thought was interrupted as the door went again, this would be the two officers he had been waiting for she thought. She pushed herself up from the desk and walked to the side of it, standing with her arms hanging loose at her sides and her weight on her right leg, her left hip dropping as she shifted position. While she was feeling stronger right now she was still wary of what Dranok had in mind for this meeting, a stance that was easy to dodge and easy to fight from was precautionary. Her eyes didn't leave him though, watching and comparing every movement and facial expression, it was uncanny.

@Dranok Lussk

 

[Judas of Vahl]

Dranok could only give the woman a light chuckle and a grin as she straightened herself against the table, making her threats. The man found himself chuckling even harder as Feriss merely sported an ever-growing frown.

"Trust me, if I wanted to kill you then I would have by now."

This civilian was not the one he dreamed of killing. It was the pair of men that entered the room, abruptly silencing the Lord's light laughter. The two fairly high ranked officers entered smoothly, muttering something incoherent to Thyma before stepping inside and closing the door. Dranok could see their eyes even being on the opposite side of the room, fear was easy to spot when overflowing. He needn't even use his senses to detect their emotions or catch glimpses of their thoughts, he simply knew. And with that knowledge, he waved them over without a single word. The pair nodded simultaneously, taking cautious steps forward to enter the presence of the dark Lord.

The moment they stepped forward, he was on them. His arm outstretched slightly as if grasping something, yet nothing. The men clawed at their throats, attempting to suck in oxygen as they were lifted off of the ground by a few inches by an invisible hand. Dranok's voice was icy cold, his golden eyes now blazing like the infinite flames of a sun.

"Answer me. Shall I give you another chance or shall I end you both right now?"
Gurgles came in reply, and so he let his grip loosen slightly. "Guhhhk..ughk...chancuggh."
"Very well." He released his grip, letting the two men drop to the floor. "This is your final chance."

@[member="Tiana Feriss"]

 

[Tiana Feriss]

Her eyebrows shot up as the pair were lifted in what she had only ever heard described as a Force Choke. Well this was something she had not expected, no-one had suggested he had Force capability. Perhaps she had just ignored it, brushed it off as part of his ever growing mythos. Not only that he had this capability but that it was actually very strong from what she saw was even more shocking. A cold feeling ran through her gut.

If it had been designed as a warning to her then it was definitely effective and she thought about having some serious words with Duke about choosing employers when she'd finished this job... if she finished this job. At least she now understood the rumours she had heard about the man now, they weren't at all truthful, they had been too tame.

Tiana forced herself to maintain her posture of relaxed readiness and tried to calm her surprise so it didn't show on her face. Shuddering as the two officers fell to the floor again, gasping for air, she was glad she did not have to witness the men dying that way, it was truly terrifying, at least a blaster was quick. She remained silent, an observer of Imperial punishment and awaiting whatever it was the Lord had planned for her.

@Dranok Lussk

 

[Judas of Vahl]

Dranok had forgotten entirely of the woman that was at his table. His eyes were only trained on the recuperating pair of men, who were shocked both physically and mentally. He brought them to the brink of death and allowed them to live, he assumed they should be thankful.

"Now, see to it that my missions assigned to you aren't failed."
The two frightened, grown men gave the man a sharp salute. "Yes, sir!"

They about faced and departed the room, muttering between themselves and straightening their tunics. Dranok's blazing glare tracked them until they'd completely exited the room. A few moments passed, passing almost as fast as the world was rotating. The Lord exiting his daze with smooth transition, turning to face the woman leaning against his table. It was almost too surreal, a single thought waved through his mind.

"My apologies, I forget to introduce myself." He gave a slight bow. "I am Lord Admiral Dranok Lussk."

@[member="Tiana Feriss"]

 

[Tiana Feriss]

"Your reputation preceded you, Lord Admiral," she didn't bow back, "you already know who I am."

The last part came out almost as a challenge, yes he knew her name but what else did he know about her and how much exactly did she know about him?

"So do you demonstrate that gift to all your potential employees or should I count myself privileged to bear witness to the admonishment of your staff?" With that she folded her arms and rested her hip against the table. Her father had had a foul temper when provoked but suddenly she was grateful he didn't have Force powers, she probably wouldn't have survived adolescence if he had.

Without giving him a chance to respond to her last question she finally took her eyes off him and looked around the room again, "It was effective enough if it was a demonstration, I don't think I want to be near a last chance with you." She wondered how many last failures these walls had seen. Her eyes narrowed and returned to his, "Shall we get down to business or is there anything else you wish to discuss first?"

@Dranok Lussk

 

[Judas of Vahl]

"Reputation? I have no need for such a thing."

The man spoke confident words laced with venom in retort the the woman's own words. In truth, he was being honest for the most part. Men of power didn't exactly need a reputation, it made them conspicuous, easy to spot and study. Most of the time, he hated being a renowned individual. His tales and conquests were known to almost everyone in the galaxy, and with that came enemies. They watched his efforts, studied his earlier campaigns and often attempted to use his own methods against his forces. And they failed, each time. It was why he'd gotten darker, revealing no signs of mercy from his previous phase overflowing with honor. He did still retain those honorable qualities, but anyone who was in his way was nothing to him. A mere obstacle to either remove or avoid.

His thoughts shifted outwards, zeroing in on Feriss's voice. His blazing eyes found themselves gliding across her frame, analyzing each piece of her. She was quite shorter than him, as well as her figure. Dranok weighed in at an even two hundred pounds atop a six foot one frame of lean, hardened muscle sculpted from relentless days of training and combat. He wasn't as fit as he was during the Academy, but he still led his men into battle and maintained a strict training regimen for himself. Getting soft physically would do the same to his mind and the Lord couldn't afford to let deteriorate.

"Yes, let's hop straight to business." His voice rang low as he ignored her comment about his punishments. "What I need for you do is ship my cargo to Zaadja," he reached over to snag the datapad off of the table, tapped a few times and offered it to Ms. Feriss. "You'll be guaranteed an escort, of which will include myself seeing as my staff can't seem to do the simplest of jobs."

"I hope you don't mind."

@[member="Tiana Feriss"]

 

[Tiana Feriss]

He might not need a reputation but, especially in her family, he certainly had one. Tiana wasn't sure whether to claim victory or not as he ignored her comment about witnessing the dressing down of his subordinates, the one thing that rang through was not to push it any further. The fiery glare that seemed to size her up like a predator was uncomfortable at best but again she smiled through it.

She took the datapad when he handed it to her and glanced over it. In honesty it didn't matter what she was carrying since she couldn't exactly dictate what she would permit aboard, she figured it wouldn't be anything too horrendous since anything secret would either be hidden in seemingly innocuous packaging or only trusted to personnel within the organisation itself.

A guaranteed escort was good, so long as she didn't try and duck off with the cargo they shouldn't shoot at her and instead make themselves lovely targets for any pirates out there. Tiana pretended to still be reading when he said he would be joining her but inside she was screaming epithets and curses that would make the most hardened spice smuggler blush. Her green eyes closed and she sighed gently before placing the datapad back on the table and strengthening her resolve to turn back to him.

"Of course I don't mind," she lied blatantly then shook her head, deciding to tell him the truth, "I am not accustomed to carrying passengers, they have an annoying habit of touching things and trying to give orders." She continued, "That ship is my home, my personal place. When I choose to let someone on board it is not unlike having guests over for dinner, you expect certain behaviour. I am happy to carry your cargo but please remember that and remind anyone else you bring with you." Her tone was matter of fact, not threatening in any way.

It was true, she hated carrying passengers. People pried and poked about forgetting how angry they would be if someone came into their house and did the same, this was the place she called home and it was personal to her. Worse still was that it was this man, one she had hoped not to meet at all, and now he had just invited himself along because his incompetent underlings were so feckless. For a brief moment she wished she could instil some discipline into the idiots before remembering she enjoyed the life she had right now.

@Dranok Lussk

 

[Judas of Vahl]

He couldn't barely believe his ears at the tone of voice this woman was using. He here was, being a polite gentleman like he should and even offering to protect her on her journey, and she just basically told him off. His jaw twitched slightly, no doubt strained in order to conceal the anger that was stirring within the Lord's being. That spark ignited and flared, flowing through his veins and consuming his body until his golden eyes blazed with the same fury. However, nothing happened besides the fraction of a movement in Dranok's jaw.

"I can handle that. I will be in your care whilst I'm aboard your vessel."

His words were tainted with the hatred only a Sith could wield, yet he felt no real anger against her. It was as if this was just some normal quarrel, a brother-sister type quarrel. Dranok made the empty connection and tossed the thought away as soon as it popped up. Still, the man held his peculiarities about her and made sure to keep her in his sight.

"When shall we depart?"

@[member="Tiana Feriss"]

 

[Tiana Feriss]

Tiana saw the jaw twitch but was extremely impressed with his self-control, despite the words dripping with fury from his lips. She couldn't help but find this quite amusing; pushing his buttons and watching him go.

She placed the datapad back on the desk after checking exactly how much he intended to pay her and smiled a beaming smile at him, "I am ready to go as soon as the cargo is aboard, I'll have to straighten out the guest quarters for you but that won't take a minute."

Walking up to him she held her hand out and waited for him to shake it, "It's good doing business with you. If you will excuse me I will head down to my ship and supervise the loading, if your people are as incompetent as you say they are I think it's probably safest. Plus I'll need to tell Duke your people have permission or there will be a riot down there."

 

[Judas of Vahl]

A single hand rose to meet hers, enveloping her much smaller hand with his larger, scarred fingers. Upon making contact with her soft flesh, a spark flickered in the back of his mind. A small glimpse of a vision danced through his mind for a fraction of a second before it dissipated back into nothing. The image Dranok saw was her, a younger version of the woman before him. She wasn't too young, and the vision was clear enough so that he could make out the surroundings. It was his home, probably one of the rare times when he got leave from the Academy to visit home for a few days. He found himself gripping her hand tighter than he should've and eased up as soon as he caught on, his appearance softening as well.

"Who are you?" He already knew her name, but that wasn't the direction his question was headed.

@[member="Tiana Feriss"]

 

[Tiana Feriss]

She had hoped that it would be a short and formal handshake before she was able to escape to her ship and out of his vicinity, it wasn't to be. She realised there was something going on when his face changed becoming more human than Lord. Joints in her fingers popped as his grip tightened and she was grateful when his hand loosened.

Tiana gave her hand a shake when she pulled it out of his relaxed grip, "You know who I am. Tiana Feriss, trader and cargo transporter." She knew perfectly well that wasn't what he meant but she didn't want to play that card, in fact she would prefer it stay in the deck permanently. She wondered what it was that had caused the sudden change in his demeanour. Could he know who she really was and how did he figure it out?

Taking a step back she looked at him, a little more nervous than she had wanted to be.

@Dranok Lussk

 

[Judas of Vahl]

The lump in his throat stiffened, urging the man to release the emotions welling up inside of him. Yet, he just took a deep breath and steeled his gaze. His jaw was set once again, hardening with the thought of his inner self being shown to a woman he barely knew, yet apparently that was not so. The golden eyes that had once contained enough hatred to consume galaxies now softened, just enough so that the green hue beneath made its appearance for a split second. The softness that had been revealed departed almost as fast as it came.

"Don't play games with me." He gave an exhale, "You know what I mean."

@[member="Tiana Feriss"]

 

[Tiana Feriss]

Seeing the green of his eyes was the final piece for her, she knew what he wanted her to tell him. Something he couldn't remember, not that he had had any reason to. She had grown up in the long shadow of this man who had been idolised by her parents. Meeting him had made her finally realise why she had never been quite good enough for them; he was a Lord Admiral, master of his own destiny, commander of fleets. The best she had ever achieved was finding a rude and battered R5 hidden in a scrap pile of a ship she had spent too long repairing.

Fighting to keep her emotions in check as all the memories of being inferior flooded back she turned and clenched her teeth, breathing a deep breath and counting to ten in her head she leaned over and placed her hands on his desk. She closed her eyes and, without turning back, growled softly, "Arani Tiana Lussk."

@[member="Dranok Lussk"]