Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Meeting on a Moon

Nar Shaddaa - The Black Adder

The Black Adder was a high end and relatively exclusive bar and club located in the more high-end area of Nar Shaddaa. Security prowled the landing pad that was situated against the side of the high rise that the Adder sat atop of as if it were the structure's crown, tight-faced and highly disciplined men and women of a variety of species each of whom were dressed in distinctive, navy uniforms and carried a holstered blaster pistol at their hips.

Whenever a guest would exit their speeders, they would be greeted by a team of three; two members of security to guard them while simultaneously keeping the new arrivals under watch while the third would verify the arrivals' identities against the list of names provided at the beginning of every night. It was this level of security that made the Adder so high-end for it enabled shady business deals to be conducted, for politicians to debased themselves and for crimes to be planned without the eyes of the wider public getting a glimpse of said actions.

Of course, such a veneer of professionalism held a darker secret considered the dark deeds that were conducted within the walls of the Adder. Beneath the decor of flashy lights, dancing show girls and free flowing drinks, cameras and watchful eyes compiled blackmail and leverage with a degree of professionalism that let them pass without notice. So what if a dancer was preforming right in front of someone whist they were arranging the death of a political enemy, such were the thoughts of many. Who would they tell, they worked so long as the money was flowing into the club and that would stop if they tattled and ruined a source of income? What none who patronised the Adder knew was that a powerful entity sponsored not just the workers who collected secrets but also the continued operation of The Black Adder. The Sith Assassins were resourceful if nothing else.

It was the fact that the Sith Assassins owned and operated The Black Adder that lead to Xevek Rakama - Sith Acolyte and neophyte within the Assassins - to patron the club one night as the moon of scum hung low above the planet below. As an Assassin he was granted free access to the floors beneath the public ones for his own personal use so long as he paid the debt that said use would incur and the meeting he was set to have was not one that he wished to have on turf that did not grant him the advantage.

Dressed in a pressed white shirt and charcoal waistcoat, the Iridonian easily slipped through the drunk and boisterous crowds towards the bar, leaning across it so as to whisper into the ear of the bartender. With the conclusion of the hushed conversation and the passing of a datachip from Xevek to bartender, the human woman turned away to pour Xevek his requested drink - the light catching the red hand-print tattooed beneath her right ear as she did so. Passing the drink back to Xevek, slipping his a second datachip as she did so, the Assassin nodded once before slipping back into the crowds that enclosed tightly around him.

Minuets later he leaned back in the leather chair he had lowed himself into with a small groan, slowly sipping at the amber liquid within the glass tumbler he clasped tightly in one hand. Unlike the floor above, the floor he currently sat in was open and coloured coolly, rather than it being bathed in the vibrant and warm lights of the club upstairs. Soundproofing meant that the only noises to reach his ears were the clinking of ice against glass from the drink he held and the soft violin music drifting from concealed speakers. The Assassins' floor was not designed with decadence nor primal debasement like the floors above, decorated with leather seats, glass tables and glass sculptures; the open floor divided up into section by glass partisans within which water trickled and cast dancing designs of light upon the ceiling.

Truly, for Xevek, it was a place to relax as he so proved as he began to drift of slightly, his one eye slowly drifting shut. However, he soon jerked back to alertness as the sound of the lift approaching the floor sounded out. Fixing his amber gaze upon the doors of the lift, Xevek was just in time to witness them slide open to reveal the bartender he had spoken to mere minutes ago and the red-skinned Devaronian female he had been waiting. Setting his whisky to one side, Xevek slowly levered himself out of the chair, his gruff voice cutting across the quiet of the floor to meet the ears of the two women.

"Ah, Rahea, thank you for escorting my guest to me. You are dismissed. Ms Vi Grir, thank you for responding to my request for a meeting so quickly. Please do forgive me for the subterfuge surrounding this location, I thought it best to meet where we would not be disturbed. Won't you please take a seat?" A warm smile crossed his scared features as the lift would slide shut behind Vi, shuttling Rahea back to the public floors and leaving the pair alone. Gesturing towards the seat opposite to where he had been seated, Xevek turned to walk towards the small bar set off to one side. As he did so, the warm smile left his features quickly, a mask being removed before it wore too thin, but, when he spoke over his shoulder, it was as if it had never vanished. "Is there anything you would like to drink, my dear, before we get to the matter of 'Pain As Guide And Servant'?"


[member="Vi Grir"]
 
[member="Xevek Rakama"]

Vi had arrived in her ancient and old, barely-holding-together Gage-class Transport, seemingly fine with the meeting location. While Vi wasn't the one to go to social clubs or city-planets, being a little anti-social to groups, Nar Shaddaa was a place she could fit in. A place she could avoid everyone and no one would bother her, except to threaten her and take her belongings. Thankfully, she was adept enough to sway them off. Althought she had created the smallest inkling of a reputation, one that was just intimidating by her looks. She always wore her armor now. And if she didn't look like she could beat someone up or kill them, her insanity typically drew them away and scared them. She didn't frequent the planet, not many knew who she was, or wanted to, or cared. That's the way Vi liked it. She was nothing of the sort other people would understand, she was far from normal. And not the unique normal.... there was something wrong with her.

After landing at an available location, Vi got a shady ride from a shady person in a shady part of the shady city, just to feel the edge of supporting shady business. But realistically, it was the cheapest method of transportation. Vi couldn't handle walking even a short distance, but her scraps of credits that she had to her name weren't a lot either. Wearing her freaky stone-made armor, which of course somehow she could wear, she finally arrived to the Black Adder. If they required her to remove her helmet, and if they made her keep it off, she would do so, knowing the Black Adder was serious with its security, and it didn't matter in the Black Adder if people saw a young, weak, ex-Sith Slave walking around, no one would come after her... except maybe when she left. The only thing that would be on their minds would be.... how did she get in the Black Adder.

Once she spoke to the Bartender about who she was and who she was meeting, she was immediately escorted to where Xevek was residing, who seemed to be in richman heaven, about to fall asleep in his comfy chair and his delicious drink. It was cute. Cute for a skull faced, or masked, man to be so sleepy weepy. If she still had her helmet on by now, she would have removed it to greet Xevek. "Oh, don't call me miss, haha! I'm not special! You can call meeeee... Vir, or Heretic! The Sith call be Abomination or Heretic, and Vir is my quick nickname." When she was offered a seat, she was very gracious.... she had never sat in a comfy chair before. Her ass was so used to flat metal chairs! It was good to relax. "Thanks. Um... I don't think you would have any Nebula Orchid nectar, would you? For some reason I've always liked that stuff.... I could never figure out why. Or where I can even get it. I've only found a few places that sold it. But, I'll settle for some Hutt Bile! Oh, erm, I mean," Vir was not a smart one, but she did have a quick realization, "that's um, another, weird drink... some of the less fancy places have it. Um... just some... Daro Root Beer. I'm not a drinker, and Daro comes closest to fancy drinks that I can afford and know I enjoy."
 
The rattled off list of drinks only served to pull an irritated sigh from Xevek, the sound of which escaped no further than the mask he wore. With every name give his hands drifted from the neck of one bottle though they never rested there for long as he would continue onto the next and then the next. In the end, he throttled back his annoyance with practiced ease, returning to the emotionless state that he lived the majority of his life in and poured out the first drink given: Nebula Orchid Nectar. The Black Adder's Assassin levels were designed with catering to a wide variety of taste from the upper class to the gutter trash and, as such, the bar was well stocked for any need or want an Assassin might have.

Turning from the bar, Xevek moved with almost unnatural grace as he picked his was around chairs and tables to approach Vir. Unlike what might be expected, every footfall of the Iridonia did not create any noise, nor did his movements generate the sound of rustling cloth. With the dulled lights of the room dancing off of the bone mask and the complete lack of sound, Xevek, in Vir's mind, might well have looked as if he was nothing more than a shade of a living being - an echo of life trapped in some level of reality beyond the material. Said opinion had been expressed before by his targets; though in those circumstances it was less stated and more screamed in soul-deep terror as they frantically tried to kill him before he snuffed the spark of life from within their bodies and left their corpses to cool.

Lowering himself back into his seat, silently this time and without a groan of pain, Xevek leaned forward to slide the tumbler across the glass table to set it before the Devaronian. Rather than leaning back in his seat, relaxing into it as the crimson-skinned woman was, Xevek remained leaning forwards, his skull-shaped mask hovering less than a foot away from Vir, amber gaze staring into her eyes. Slowly, he reached up and removed the mask, revealing the deeply tanned skin covered in intricate black tattoos and scars that lay beneath the carved bone. As he revealed his features to Vir, a deep, feral smirk pulled at his lips, exposing pointed teeth stained with remnants of blood, as his gruff voice broke the awkward and heavy silence that had fallen between the pair.

"Believe it or not, Miss Vir," despite her words, the polite address remained though this time it was tinged not with politeness but with a lurking threat, "I was associated myself within the slums of this moon, fighting as a slave-gladiator... well, until I tore my so called Master's throat out with by bare hands, of course. You need not explain to me what Hutt Bile is. Do not think that simply because I make use of the resources of my sponsors that I am some sort of 'Toff'. Perhaps it shall mean that we will understand each other better in these coming negotiations."

Finally leaning back, Xevek picked up his whisky, the cubes of ice now melted, and slowly sipped at it as he gestured with his free hand - the matt black cybernetic hand catching the light distinctively - to Vir's own drink. When he spoke next, it was with something of a seductive drawl. The benefit he had found in his dissociated state, his difficulties in even understanding his own emotions, was often wielded like he was presently wielding it when in social situations - to enable him to jump from mask to mask which randomness so as to confuse those he spoke with. "Pleasure before business, no? If, as you say, it is rare for you, feel free to saver your Nebula Orchid. I do not mind waiting for one such as you. What are a few minutes worth, really?"

[member="Vi Grir"]
 
[member="Xevek Rakama"]

Unfortunately, Vir was completely unaffected by the mannerisms of the man in front of her. She didn't think about his terrifying gaze, she didn't ponder about his gloomy silence in movement, and nor did she inspect his living status. Vir was a slave from another time, one where slaves weren't toys, but cogs in a machine of war. Gruel was a feast for other slaves, while Vi was welcomed to thirds of corpses of fallen enemies. Xevek could quite easily tell Vi was worked to the bone, still showing signs of emaciated figure, scars here and there from burns, scratches, and other wounds that never healed. Covered up by random make up markings made to look like tribal paint. Vi... Was never one to actually think as her mind was so torn, she didn't think of a larger picture. What was in front of her eyes was all she knew. Her mind was broken long ago, and since she was never put out of her misery, she has had to live with it.

"Oh, my- I... Thank you," she pleaded, graciously taking the drink. "No, no... I don't think of you as - I'm sorry. My mind it... It doesn't work like yours... Or anyone elses. I feel like, I'm not supposed to be... Here. I know of... Older times. Even..." she took a moment to smell the nectar and smile, taking a sip and then breathing deep, "this nectar... I don't know why I like it. I remember it from a long time ago, but I don't know when or where it was. I... Lived on this nectar. My body... It's used to... Unorthodox, is that the word? Drinks. I can't even process water... I was a scum slave, meant to fix broken fighters, weapons, even test if they worked after I fixed them. Sometimes I was used for other things. But I was in a pile of the worthless. I had no skill my owners could do better. I just did what they didn't want to. So, I grew accustomed to it as my life. But... My life isn't for this time, so I slip up, and forget where I am, sometimes even catch myself speaking ancient Sith without realizing it."

She sighed feeling sad, "but, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to undermine your intelligence." Then, the sadness turned to a smile. Clearly, emotions didn't process correctly for her. "What's the pleasure?"
 
The fascinating manner in which the woman opposite spoke served to cause a spark of interest to bloom within the Assassins single eye. First she had approached in armour made of stone and naught more - his gaze into the Force revealed no Force imbuement present within the material as he had initially inspected - now she spoke as if thoughts were fighting each other in her head, pausing and stutters in her speech possible revealing a struggle going on behind her eyes. Perhaps the different way of thinking that she had mentioned was the cause of it all? Indeed, Vi Grir was turning out not to be as boring as he had been prepared for. Perhaps she was even becoming someone of interest.

Chuckling lowly to herself, Xevek merely let silence reign between the two of them for a few moments as the initial response to her question, amused - even beneath the false personality he was currently wearing - at her apology. The words she spoke, and more precisely the words that lingered un-uttered beneath them, spun a tale that Xevek was more than slightly familiar with. A slave, tied to their bonds not through just fear but also addiction. Tethered in place by those with false authority. Indeed, Vi basically admitted as such in saying that her Masters had skills equaling to her own. Ultimately, they were lazy and, as such, in Xevek's mind, more scum than how Vi regarded herself. The only aspect of her story he was unfamiliar with, personally, was the indirect sexual use she had suffered under - that had not been the fate of the slave he had known (gladiator and servant had been his fate).

However, beyond the glimpses into her past, beyond the story lingering untold behind her words, what truly interested Xevek was her admission of knowing of Older Times. The Force worked inn mysterious ways, as one who could temporarily peer at the very fabric of it at the cost of his physical sight he knew that well. As such, it would not surprise him if, indeed she did know of Older Times and it was not just simply a delusion. Besides, if it was true, perhaps she had knowledge locked within her mind that had been lost in the Dark Years. Yes, Vi Grir was intriguing.

Leaning forwards slightly, a small smirk grew across the Iridonian's lips as he shattered the silence before it could last for too long. "The pleasure, my dear, is this..." Slowly, he leaned back and waved a hand around the room; gesturing first to Vi and then the rest of the room. "What man would call getting to sit, drink and talk with one such as you anything other than a pleasure and not be called sane. Now, I do believe that like for like would be only courteous, no? You told me of yourself, so I should do like in return. So, before we get down to business, feel free to ask anything about and of me you like. It would be a pleasure to answer one as... interesting as you."


[member="Vi Grir"]
 
"An interesting question." A slow, almost malicious, smile curled across his features. "So bold, so direct. You ask a Sith their desires. You ask a man who has asked to meet you under secretive conditions to reveal such a privately held secret." True humour for the first time in years curled within his chest and slowly climbed to express itself as a low, rolling chuckle. One that lead to his head tilting backwards slightly as he enjoyed the rather jovial sensation. "I reiterate myself, you are intriguing... fascinating."

Smirking, he sipped at his drink slightly, peering intently at Vi over the rim of the tumbler as he did so, debating on how much to reveal. He truly did find her interesting and if he was to potentially make use of her in the future, he would have to position her in such a way that some degree of trust, whether it be strained or not, towards him would have to exist. The easiest way to ensure such an outcome as soon as possible was to seemingly let his walls down with a small truth, one that cost him nothing and yet seemed to do so. A trust on his deepest desires fit such a bill, now all he had to do was decided how much was too much.

Humming to himself, Xevek began to speak slowly, calmly, his thoughts clearly twisting around themselves behind his eye. "My purpose... it is not something I have given much thought to." A partial truth. When he had had to decide what path to walk he had given it much thought but since then he had thought little on it. Across the breadth of his time alive, the time ruminating on said matter was truly small. "But if I were to say something, I would probably point to... hm... knowledge." Safe, easily tied in to with the typical Sith arrogance and ambition. "Yes, I wish to seek archaic knowledge. That which is known to few. To plunder the shadows of the Galaxy and the last histories to claim that which few have." True. "I do not seek to rule, to proclaim law from a throne." Partially true. If he was to rule it would be from the shadows but that did not mean he would not rule if he thought it best.

"Yes, I would have to say that the purpose I have assigned myself can be stated simply. I wish to know, to learn."


[member="Vi Grir"]
 
[member="Xevek Rakama"]

Vi smiled a little, truthfully his path was very much the same to her. She wanted to learn. As much as her mind had problems, it was easy to store knowledge, and it seemed unending. The only trouble was trying to recollect what she absorbed. That, was her obstacle.

"I hope to one day amass a great archive, a library, if you will. I believe all those who wish to learn the ways of the Sith should not be afraid of it, nor see it hard to find. I want to explore everything there is to the Sith, and have it available for those to learn," she smiled, thinking of her future. She honestly wanted to hold books, holocrons, weapons, armor, any objects... To keep them well maintained and allow others to learn of them. "I already know where my library will be, and I couldn't have the Jedi be able to find it, they would just destroy everything. They see the Dark Side as innately evil, they are blind, simply because it is colored dark to the light they act like blind zealots and attack without cause... So rude. I would also allow the True Sith to, hehe, check items out, for a lack of better words! I love the idea to serve my true Siths, and for them to appreciate me..."
 
"An admirable goal, my dear. Truly. I am sure that, in the future, the appreciation you so seek will be bestowed upon your shoulders. If nothing more than for how well you understand the mind of the Jedi so well. A blight, they are, upon the Force, in my opinion. So blind and devoted to the zealot belief they hold that they cannot see how corrupting their ideology is. They preach peace without understanding the true effect of peace. Without war, without chaos and a drive to better oneself, the rot that is stagnation will set in, first only on the surface level, but then it will dive deeper and deeper until not just the leaves but the entire tree is consumed by rot. Ineffective, bloated and stagnant in its development, peace will destroy any group that chooses to embrace it. You need only look to the Jedi for evidence. They preach peace and yet they fight and it is that fight that keeps them alive. Fools the lot of them."

Grunting to himself, Xevek halted the purposefully crafted rant by downing the rest of his drink. In the end, the rant he had gone on had been chosen in the hopes that it would make it seem like he was letting the walls around him slip that little bit more. Vi could be, would be, useful in the future if he could make her trust him after all. Behind the oddness, he saw a mind unfalteringly intelligent, just disjointed when it came to recollection. If honed, if aimed, it would be a great asset.

"But, I digress, should we move onto talk of business, what brought us both here? I do believe that mentioning your library is a clearly good point to move off from since we are discussing an addition to your collection, no?" Chuckling slightly, Xevek leaned forwards, head tilted slightly as he riveted his gaze to Vi's own. "Unless, of course, you wish to continue this stimulating conversation and not yet ruin it with the boring talk of business? You are a fascinating individual Vi Grir, after all."

[member="Vi Grir"]
 
[member="Xevek Rakama"]


When Xevek started to speak again, she took a hefty gulp of the nectar as she listened. But once he asked his question, she quickly stopped, pulling the drink away and wiping her mouth, shaking her head. "Oh, no no," she stuttered with a full mouth, gulping the nectar down, "we can talk about anything. The benefits of me is that I have no plans or schedule, I go where the force takes me. My home is in orbit, and no one is waiting for me. I'm perfectly open to continue talking, or going back to business. Did you have any other questions for me?"
 

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