Pandora? No, Pantora.

[Garza]

P A N T O R A

Still being hired in various places, I decided I would do some less strenuous work. Something along the lines of guarding someone, or just gathering crap for someone important. As it so happened, I was meeting with a political figure within the Pantora government. I was to act for her guard until someone else could be provided. One of the men who had been in her little posse had left for some unknown reason to me. However, I wasn't contacted by the woman herself, but her brother.

The politician Raus Papanoida. He had made contact with me as my identity as Atheus, being a "ruthless killer" and a mercenary in general had reached his blue skinned ears. Walking down the hallway towards the woman's office, I was actually reading up on her a little. Just that Raus and this Raeya had been on different political sides. Fighting against one another. They were siblings. Many believed they hated each other. From what I had been hired to do, I doubted that greatly. They wouldn't protect one another if they really did hate each other.

Putting the datapad away into one of my coat pockets, I then folded the flap up before knocking on the woman's door. I waited for her response as I stood there. Dressed as usual in my long coat, with my hood up and mask on. I adjusted said mask to make sure it was on snugly to my face, and attached around the back of my neck.

"This better be worth the payment."

[member="Raeya Papanoida"],

 

[Leos Palle]

How fortunate he was that she didn't hear his remark about payment. He would have gotten an earful for that one.

"Come in."

Yes, it was true. Her former chief guard had left her because she had refused his advances towards her and made his life a living hell just for trying. Sure, she was absolutely beautiful, but to think a lowly guard such as himself would have the audacity to pursue her. It was shameful. He wasn't even that great of a guard. One time she'd caught him sleeping at his post outside of her door. Another time he'd walked in on him and one of her aides doing the dirty in her very office! It was shameful this behavior. Slightly exciting, but shameful. He was fortunate she hadn't fired him, and yet he chose to leave. Fool didn't know how good he had it.

So naturally Raus had heard about this little scuffle. Being the overbearing older brother that he was, he'd naturally taken it upon himself to find a replacement for the man. What was worse was the fact that he'd gone outside of Pantora to find someone to protect her. Some person she'd never had the misfortune of hearing of. And of course the others had ratified the selection because at the moment the balance of power was in Raus' favor. Such was the way of things.

When the door opened, she looked up and smiled at the newcomer. Diplomat through and through. On her face, the smile did not appear at all forced, that was how practiced she was. Radiant was often used to describe her, and she looked no different today than ever. Adorned in another of her purple dresses and numerous pieces of jewelry, she would likely seem the pompous princess that she sometimes was. Very few actually saw her in a vulnerable position, caring for others. That was a carefully crafted facade she wore. It kept her safe from those that would use the people around her against her.

"Welcome to Pantora. I assume you're the man my brother hired to protect me?"

[member="Atheus"]

 

[Garza]

After walking in, I noticed the woman's desk. All adorned with various tools of her trade. Datapads to be verified, ideas to be tossed away or to be brought to the senate floor. I didn't pay any attention to what they were, but the idea was there. She was a rather busy woman. As she addressed me, I removed my hood as close as I could to a sign of respect. I wouldn't remove the mask though. That was something to never happen unless I trusted the person completely, or they were someone of my species. Only two people have seen my face. Thalia, and Nikias. One was the king of my home city on Hora, the other an apprentice.

"Yes. I was assigned to guard you."

There was nothing extra to say. It wasn't necessary for me to do anything else. I stood there with my hand grabbing the other's wrist, held aloft in front of me. She wouldn't see any visible weapons on me as all that I needed was hidden for their own various reasons. Instead of just standing there in silence, I decided to let myself be questioned. If she wanted me to be standing behind her, and protect her on her day, she needed to trust me.

"Do you have any questions for me?"

[member="Raeya Papanoida"]

 

[Leos Palle]

She idly tapped a finger against the desk as she regarded him. Hood removal, but he wore a mask. What was beneath it? Horrific scarring and battle wounds? Or was he perhaps a species that might cause distress to the eyes of the galactic populace? Perhaps he just liked anonymity. A myriad of reasons flushed hurriedly through her mind, but she shunted them away, unwilling to devote her time to such a ludicrous endeavor. She would not determine an answer simply by thinking about the problem in this case.

"I am a rather busy individual and will be taking a trip to Serpena soon, so I have little time for questioning. Contrary to what appearances show, I do value my brothers incite, and his judgment, on most issues. If he picked you, it was for good reason. All I ask is your name."

It was then that she decided she would not give him any orders on how to portray himself. She felt something was odd about this man. Yes, by this point in time she had completed enough training to technically be a Jedi Knight if she wished*, but she had no desire for such. Still, her skills were sufficient to tell her that there was more to him. For that reason she thought it best to gauge who he was by allowing him to simply do his job without her interference, something that was completely abnormal for her. Of course she had told him they would be leaving shortly to go on a trip so he wasn't going to be able to get too comfortable.

She waved a hand at him as if to say to do as he would, and then went back to pouring through the information on the datapad she'd previously been looking over. She kept her intuition to herself, just in case he could pick up on such things, but she was clearly no master of hiding what she was from other practitioners of the Force.

"Two hours until my ship will be ready to leave. That's when your work will be most needed."

[member="Atheus"]
*I'm playing it as she had Jedi training prior to their meeting, as we discussed previously. This is mostly a note for down the road and my recollection of continuity.

 

[Garza]

"Atheus"

That was all to be needed of my namesake. I had no other name to claim as my own. As the woman said she was rather busy, I didn't need to give her the extra information about how I was a bastard of my kind. Or that I was a force users among the galaxy filled with wars among the stars. Instead, I stood there. When she went to continue to do her work, I moved to one side of the room and made my post. I wanted to watch how she acted if I were in the room. Just standing there, and not doing anything. Was she the diligent type, and work without needing others, or would she be the one who thought I was only there to distract her.

She then spoke about leaving in two hours to her ship to where I would be needed the most. Nodding my head, I decided to pose a question towards her.

"If there is nothing else you need of me now, I will go and see to it that I am prepared."

[member="Raeya Papanoida"],

 

[Leos Palle]

She paused a moment and looked up at him.

"I should be fine here. On Pantora is not where the danger lies."

Little did she know how true that was. Pantora itself was safe for her, especially when she was at work. The governmental buildings were well guarded, and their democratic form of government provided the people with all they needed. Internal strife within the population was not present. Given her propensity for making sure that her people were well cared for, most viewed her in a greatly positive light. The danger to her well-being only came from outside sources. Since she would be leaving directly from the government building, those outside sources had limited chance of getting to her.

But someone was plotting something. She just wasn't aware of it as yet. Somewhere out there, a dissident group was going to strike in an effort to harm the New Republic.

"You may go, Atheus. Thank you for taking on the position of my protector."

She nodded to him and then went back to her work. There was much to be done before she left. Only when she was aboard her ship would she be able to finally relax.

[member="Atheus"]

 

[Garza]

As the politician mentioned that the dangers were not here, and elsewhere, I nodded my head. Understanding that it was others who wanted to fight against her in her peaceful endeavors. Either way, I didn't care, and I was getting paid when this was over. I wanted a little extra food on the table for myself, and Eris. Otherwise, I would have to deal with what we were stuck with at the current moment. Rations, and simple foods. I liked a little bit more meat in my diet.

Either way, I walked towards the room, prepared myself with all of my available gear, and awaited orders. Nothing extra special. Nothing really strange. Just getting the job done as quickly as I could.

[member="Raeya Papanoida"]

 

[Leos Palle]

The orders came quickly enough. As she'd said, two hours later, he would receive a summons to one of the facilities landing platforms where the Iridescent waited for him. Raeya herself was already on the vessel, seated in one of the lounges with a glass of wine, staring at the ceiling. She didn't dare think about work at the moment. It was only on these little trips between worlds that she could find a moments peace to just relax. Every minute of every other day, when her feet were on solid ground, was spent pouring over items of business, and potential legislation within the Republic. Relaxation was usually beyond her means.

Several personal aides were accompanying her on the trip, and they flitted through the lounge area from time to time, but all of the avoided her. They knew better than to bother her when she was relaxing. Only an emergency was a suitable reason. There wasn't one at the moment. Once Atheus arrived, the ship lifted off and made its way up through the atmosphere. The captain plotted a course for Serpena, and soon enough they were in hyperspace. She just sat there and sippied her wine until he showed himself.

"Tell me about yourself, Atheus," she would say. "I want to know why my brother hired you, now that I have the time to ask."

[member="Atheus"]

 

[Garza]

Preparing myself, I had to carry non-lethal, and lethal weapons with me. Tir blasters were nice for one part. Able to stun creatures much larger than myself, and even send foes reeling in pain to prevent attacking myself or someone else. Perfect for what I needed. Resting in its holster on my right thigh, I had two lightsabers with me. On will remain hidden, and the other was clearly attached to its own holster on my left thigh. Both were necessary, and useful in their own rights. As I was replacing my mask, I had a man come in. Covering my face up by bowing my head and covering my face with said mask while it was still unattached to my face, I received orders we were leaving. I waved him off.

I hate not having locked doors.

After getting to the ship before take off, I would be last one on, and first one off. As per my job. Once more, going to the quarters of the lady representative, where the guards told me not to enter. She was having her "special" time. Which to me, meant she was alone. Not allowed in my line of work. Entering, and closing the door behind me, I made myself comfortable by sitting down in one of the chairs across from the woman as though I were in an interview.

Her question about me came up. She could clearly see my longer hair. and my silver eyes were not one to lie when asked. I relaxed slightly. This was semi-formal. Not completely so.

"I work for hire. I kill people for a living, and by conjunction, I know how someone would kill you if they wanted to do so. Your brother is a smart man to hire an assassin, or a bounty hunter, as a guard."

I could flaunt my knowledge of how having her special time without a guard with her was an easy means to get at her. Or how she didn't have someone check her food, and drink before consumption. Not even getting into the details of how someone could still very easily break through all barriers she may have and make a complete frontal assault. Or let someone else hire her guards for her. Hell, if I wanted to, I could easily break every barrier she had to the galaxy, and still reach her without having a pit stain to clean out later.

"I can tell you about my job, what I do, and some of my reasoning, but that is all ma'am. Some of us, unlike politicians, need to stay in the dark."

[member="Raeya Papanoida"]

 

[Leos Palle]

"He has his moments of clarity," she said, taking another sip from her glass.

This one was curious to her. It was obvious that he was hiding things, the mask would otherwise be unnecessary. His eyes, a collected silver, were interesting to her. She wasn't aware of any particular humanoid people that had eyes of such a color. Perhaps his were unique. They might not even be real. There were a lot of different cybernetic products on the market these days, as she'd been made aware of. Cyborgs were people too, after all. She didn't really care about his eyes that much. She just wanted to know who he was so she could understand if he was really capable of keeping her safe, or if she was going to have to be ready to act herself.

"Tell me about what you've done, then. I won't judge you or bring charges against you if you admit to anything. This is off the books and only for me to know."

One foot kicked back and forth lightly. The ship was cruising through hyperspace without any trouble. Hopefully it would stay that way, but for the moment she was only attuned to her new bodyguard, and not to what was to come.

[member="Atheus"]

 

[Garza]

Moments of clarity happened to people. More so others than those who are dead. You only lived as long as you understood how to survive. This lady Raeya had strengths of an orator, and being someone who can rally people to a cause. That made her stronger by having strong allies. It made her job much easier to have me around. There was a slight silence after I spoke. And then the statement of telling her what I have done. I smiled a little and rolled my eyes. She wanted me to feel safe when talking to her. I never felt safe.

"I have killed people like you. Political figures, Jedi, Sith. You name it, I likely have killed one or two. If you want specifics, Ask more."

Being a killer means I had to be good at it. I needed to be able to get in, and out silently, as well as be strong enough to support myself should things go wrong. However, I wanted to do some good in the world. And by good, I mean not actively seek out people to take a pair of scissors to their thread of fate.

"Pardon me, but I don't kiss and tell miss. No names."

I wasn't angry. I wasn't devoid of emotion, I clearly set the rules on my life, and if she didn't like it, then she could try to throw me out of the air lock if she wanted to. Thing is, I didn't trust anyone. Only two people alive have seen my face. Eris, and my mother. Even then, I hadn't seen my mother since I was a child. Eris never spoke to anyone about me, other than claiming me as her master. If people wanted to know about me, then they would have to meet me face to face.

Luckily for this woman. I was fine with sharing stories of my exploits, but of who I was? Not happening.

[member="Raeya Papanoida"]