Private Quod Meremur, Desevro

[Thessaly Veruna]

The acrid air of this world stung her nostrils again. Thessaly wrinkled her nose and waved a gloved hand before her face. "Wretched filth," she muttered.

Desevro made perfect sense as a place to hide one's deeds. Who would come here to investigate? Certainly not she. Instead, she had sent someone ahead to request an audience. They had returned, changed by the experience, but alive. That alone had been enough to draw her here.

Her high-arched brows lifted as she looked out the narrow viewport of her slow-moving speeder pod. It was barely large enough for one, piloted by a droid brain.

No one else would witness this meeting. Her ship had never even dropped out of hyperspace. Instead, a shuttle had been released mid-jump in a perilous manoeuvre that still left her stomach uneasy. The official records would show her vessel safely berthed in her late husband's private dock above Eliad.

The pod shuddered. Thessaly's hand shot to the handhold, an instinct she immediately scolded herself for. She released it, forcing her fingers to still.

Her chin rose, a small act of rebellion against her own doubt. This was uncharted territory. Lord Damaris of Eliad, her sadly departed husband, had once hosted Sith at his hedonistic estate on that wealth-mad fringe world. She had always kept her distance, to her advantage. Which meant, of course, that her experience with such creatures was negligible, if one wished to be polite.

The pod ascended a long, crumbling staircase. Whatever light had survived in the decaying city below now vanished. Darkness seeped through the cracks of her vessel like smoke. Thessaly steeled herself.

The hatch hissed open. Wrapped in the furs of long-extinct Eliad beasts, she stepped out into the temple of the Sith of Desevro.

She was not alone. One did not need the Force to feel the weight of unseen eyes. Her response was instinctive. She stood taller, chin high, daring the shadows to measure her.

"I am Thessaly Damaris Veruna, eldest of House Veruna, ancient line of Naboo," she declared, "my reasons for standing here today are many, but I believe my offer will interest us both. The Republic's power rises...of that, I care little. What I do care for is that its ascent is being built upon my family's name, and to our detriment."

"To save House Veruna, drastic steps must be taken. So, I come to you with a proposition."

Arris Windrun Darth Anathemous​

 

[Darth Anathemous]

Wearing: Armor + Furs
Tag: Thessaly Veruna Arris Windrun

Kaila Starfall appeared as little more than golden eyes in the temple doorway.

The icy winds of Desevro whipped the blonde's hair, but she never shivered. ​

She was too absorbed fiery meditation to notice, clawed hands cradling a kettle which continued to bubble in her grasp, glowing with heat. When the speeder-pod appeared on the horizon, she did not take her eyes off it again until Thessaly revealed herself.

The declaration made her smile. So bold, so direct, unlike any aristocrat she'd ever known.

Thessaly was answered at first by the sound of unnaturally heavy footsteps, armored boots crushing ice and snow underfoot with languid step. The figure who stepped out of those shadows was tall, quite muscular for a woman, and encased gray-black steel. With every step taken, talismans pauldrons chimed against armor.

This was no mere brute though, despite it all.

She wore the face of a young woman, perhaps too young to be as steeled and rugged this. The wind turned her freckled cheeks rosy, to which she pulled on the Aurodium chain securing her furs for warmth.

"Welcome to Desevro, Lady of House Veruna."

She greeted in slow, appraising cadence.

"I am Anathemous, Lord of Blades. Joining us is Arris Windrun, Dark Horse of Ruusan."

"...and you are bold indeed to request us..."

​

 

[Arris Windrun]

"I am Anathemous, Lord of Blades. Joining us is Arris Windrun, Dark Horse of Ruusan."

"No need to be so formal," said Arris, who stepped out from behind the Sith Lord.

Her appearance betrayed the utter chill of Desevro - nothing but a leather jacket, spacer's digs, and visible cybernetics. Internal regulations from her implants kept the cyber mutant from freezing over or entering a state of shock.

She circled the noblewoman and looked her up and down, the sort of appraising manner a lady like her was no doubt familiar with. The cyborg stood in for Mercy , who would have been here, but had more important things to do than substantiate the fragility of a foreign power through schemes. As such, the Talusian endeavored to act the way she imagined the Champion would.

"Veruna?" The name lingered on her tongue.

Where have I...

Her eyes went a little wide, as if a stimulant had just reached her bloodstream.

Yes, now she remembered. There was a time when Arris wanted to take a shot at the Prince of Parrlay and the substantial bounty on his head. However, the Black Sun attack had sealed all convenient vectors under heavy security and paranoia. Still tempting, though.

She stood behind Thessaly and spoke. "Well... You said you have a proposition, yeah? Tell us what drastic steps you just have to take."

Ever one who preferred points to be made clearly and with conviction.

Thessaly Veruna

 

[Thessaly Veruna]

Despite the chill threading up her spine, Thessaly gave no outward sign of fear. These women could snap her like a bone. She knew it. They knew it. That would do.

She tightened her furs — less from cold than from habit — and held her chin high.

"Bold, perhaps," she allowed, inclining her head once to Anathemous.

When the name Veruna left the cyborg's lips, she permitted herself a slight, measured curl of the brow. The rest was business.

Straight to it. Good.

"My brother is steering House Veruna to ruin. He must be brought to heel," she said, voice calm as ice. Her eyes tracked Arris deliberately. "I can apply boardroom pressure. Money and legal entanglements are already in motion. What I cannot provide is force. I need muscle."

She let that settle, then added the bait with deliberate ease. "You will have first refusal on any spoils. Ships, crew, cargo...whatever is requisitioned from the attacks is yours. Piracy is on the increase. Your cover is already established. You can maintain your secrecy and grow your assets."

Her head turned toward Anathemous. "Aurelian is acting as Chancellor. Divert his attention onto faltering family interests and his ability becomes easier to question. That opens space for those who can act decisively."

Arris Windrun Darth Anathemous
​

 

[Arris Windrun]

"Why not have him killed?" Was her first question.

Followed closely by, "I've met him once, seemed the type to have HoloNet scandals and most divorced man in the Galaxy awards."

That was to say, "can't you just destroy his reputation the old-fashioned way?" Though Arris didn't say it like that out loud.

Arris wouldn't - no, couldn't - engage in high-brow politics. She was a street rat through and through, not dumb, especially given how much of the 'Net was filled with doom politics lately; she stayed up on things. Yet...

"Like... hiring Sith to play your average pirate, when the Black Sun is right there? Feels to me a more calculated move than you're telling me."

The cyborg waved a dismissive hand at curious acolytes who stalked the shadows like animals seeking permission to have their fill. Her attention turned back to Thesslay with an uncanny smile that betrayed the lack of expression in her eyes. Could've been intentional, or maybe the synth-nerves were acting up again.

"Are you sure you want to make a deal with the devil?" Her second question.

Thessaly Veruna

 

[Thessaly Veruna]

The first question was met with the barest of reactions. "He is still of use to me. You do not squander resources," she said, her tone clipped to the point of impertinence. It was true that part of his usage was so that she could witness his suffering and struggle as he lost everything, but he had uses beyond just entertainment.

Eyes. She felt them. Her skin crawled with the feeling of prey before they were a meal. Still, her resolve and poise held firm.

"His reputation is my House's reputation. This needs to be handled with some finesse. I will not resort to tabloid antics and cheap theatrics," she scoffed. The old-fashioned way was for those that did not think of the future. Besides, that sort of reputation slander was almost commonplace these days. No one cared.

She turned with the pacing of the Sith, keeping her at the least in her periphery. "He has access to Jedi support. The Black Sun are not equipped for such a foe. This much has been apparent. We, though, we would be too much for his fragile alliances."

The last words left her lips with measured care. Her voice was a calculated blend of dispassion and simmering frustration.

With the final question, Thessaly surprised even herself with a short, small burst of laughter. "Darling. When one is forced to live in hell," she said eyes lighting with the irony, "the devil is merely a neigbour."

Arris Windrun Darth Anathemous​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Arris seemed more amused by the woman's reasoning than anything else. So she wanted to keep him alive - so she wanted to protect their family's reputation. It all reminded her of a time on Talus... long, long ago. So she squashed the memory to stay on top of her game here.

"He has access to Jedi support. The Black Sun are not equipped for such a foe. This much has been apparent. We, though, we would be too much for his fragile alliances."

"You know, our pirate cover won't be worth much as soon as we start fighting Jedi."

With the final question, Thessaly surprised even herself with a short, small burst of laughter. "Darling. When one is forced to live in hell," she said eyes lighting with the irony, "the devil is merely a neigbour."

She snickered. "Maybe... Maybe so," she then took a few steps closer, and leaned in until their noses almost touched.

In a low voice. "I still need to make sure you know absolutely what you're asking... If we see Jedi, we kill them, yeah?

"Dead heroes and all that blood on your hands." She poked Thessaly's chest to drive the point home. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

 

[Thessaly Veruna]

Her lip curled as the Sith poked her in the chest. No one touch her like that. Not anymore. Still, she maintained some restraint. This was not the time for pettiness. Instead of a rebuttal, she pulled on her fur coat, it tightened around her in defiance to the intrusion.

"There is no such thing as heroes," she finally said. The words lingered, and in that moment she saw only the face of her father. He who should have been her first hero, was never anything other than her greatest villain. She blinked, the memory reforging into the face of her brother. He was no villain...but something else altogether.

"There is no good or evil. There is only the fool and the wise. The fool dies. The wise thrive," her feline shaped eyes moved confidently to focus on the eyes of the Sith, "if fools die...what is it to me?"

Arris Windrun​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Arris turned around and stretched her metal arms; she paced a few steps away, then turned and walked the same count back. It may've looked like she was in deep thought, and in a way she was, but she already had her answer. It was the details that had her wondering.

If this pirate angle were to work, then it would serve their plan well to get actual pirates involved. Arris knew of a few places to look, and they'd need some inconspicuous ships, too...

Arris crossed her arms. "I think your plan will work, but before I say 'yes' to this evil, evil partnership - do you expect we do all the work, or will there be help from the inside?"

It honestly didn't matter much, one way or the other, but it helped her assess the risk involved, and therefore how much leverage the Covenant might have in their arrangement.

Thessaly Veruna

 

[Thessaly Veruna]

Her finely sculpted eyebrow arched viciously upward. For a moment she allowedd a wrinkle to mar her perfectly maintained expression. "It will work. If you commit to it as you should."

Her coat loosed, and her arm pulled out from under the pristine garment. In her hand was a fairly nondescript datapad, one seemingly at odds with her wealth and status.

"Full read outs of the Tibana gas mines on Genarius. Platform schematics. Shipment logs. Crew manifests. This is where the primary importer to Naboo gets their Tibana. Destroying such facilities would be...most...unfortunate...I am sure you will find plenty to take for yourself before you light the fuse," she said with a cool tone that showed near disinterest.

"I look forward to seeing the results on the Holo," she said, before adding calmly, "I think we are done here."

Arris Windrun​

 

[Arris Windrun]

Arris tried to hold her grin, but all she could do was laugh. It was a silly sort of snicker that betrayed violent intentions.

"Oh," she finally managed a word. "I am sorry... I severely misjudged you. I don't think anyone's offered me the chance to sink a city before... Man, those would be some bragging rights, yeah?"

Try to be Mercy as she might, Arris was ultimately herself, and this scratched away the paint to reveal the woman underneath. Motivations were revealed.

"Yeah... we have ourselves a deal." She took the datapad.

The cyborg turned and walked deeper into the temple. "Safe travels," she said, choosing to emulate Thessaly's own tone.

Thessaly Veruna