"Siths gotta chill too!"

[NT-6922]

"And don't frakking come back!"
Natassia rubbed her neck as she stumbled out of the bar groggily, flipping the bartender and the strippers off. "Your place sucks anyway!"
She couldn't remember when was the last time she drank decent alcohol; and this bar in Silver Jedi Space wasn't as good as the Antarian Rangers had sold it out to be. It was in this drunken haze than a completely crazy idea popped into her mind; she'd take [member="Vaylin"] up on her offer to come into Sith space, and show the Sith she wasn't some sort of cowardly mercenary - no ma'am, she was a strong, absolutely sober supersoldier!

She reconsidered this statement when she realized she couldn't fit her keys into her condo, and, frustrated and inebriated, she simply knocked the door off its hinges. She'd call someone to fix it in the morning: she really needed sleep, especially after the last 72 hours of almost non-stop drinking, where she kept throwing the credits she had accumulated working with MandalTech on pretty, exotic alien girls and weird beverages. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, absolutely wasted.

---

Waking up in the morning was a terrible experience: apparently, she had achieved nineteen hours of sleep, completely exhausted. And, because the neighbors were starting to get worried by the wide-open door, she was woken up when the authorities arrived, their flashlights driving her out of sleep.
"Frak, can't you let a soldier sleep!" she groaned as she stood up from her bed and realized she was in trouble.
A trip to the local police station and a hefty fine later, she was back home, packing a small case up. She needed a vacation, however short it'd be - and she was going to spend it in Sith space! With a bit of luck, they'd actually have decent alcohol and pleasing sights for her sore eyes, tired of the same ascetic Jedis she saw each day. During the space trip to Bastion, she mostly scoured for information about the planet - all she'd heard was from the Silver Jedi, and she knew that it was going to really, really biased. When they finally arrived there, she was surprised by the general appearance of the Sith capital: silly as it was, she expected more spikes. Oh, and evil-looking people with weird robes and lightsabers, too.

It wasn't that different from Jedi space, really. Red and black instead of silvery and blue, darker armor for the security forces. But what caught her gaze was the Palace of the Dark Lord: she even stopped to look at it, a certain expression of awe stuck on her face. And, taken by curiosity, she actually went to visit it - some parts were open to the public.
Natassia only realized how stupid she was once she was inside: she was "naked" in terms of weaponry, an active member of the Silver Jedi who fought the Sith on Mirial, and here she was, actually strolling about like a tourist in the Palace of the Dark Lord himself.

Surprisingly, she finished the visit and left unscathed, thirsting for a drink after the sudden burst of adrenaline when she realized her own vulnerability. She looked up reviews and decided to go for some place that wasn't rich enough for her to be out of place, but not miserable enough for her to want to shoot the bartender and then the boring dancers. The place looked cozy alright; the lights were warm, but quite dim, allowing for a comfortable darkness to reign inside. Ordering herself a meal before drinking, she was surprised by the general quality of the meat and ordered another plate. Then went the drinks, and she started drinking a very, very exotic drink that caught her attention: it was crimson red and had some sorts of bubbles, and was kept in a special bottle. "What's this?" she asked the bartender curiously, pointing at the drink.

"Ah, Firebreath Liquor - a fine choice! It is our specialty. Nobody ever managed to finish a bottle - the stuff is simply too strong for them, and many have tried!" Seeing the sparks that lit up behind Natassia's eyes, he smirked and brought the bottle on the counter. "If you manage to finish the bottle, you'll win a substantial prize. But if you don't, you'll have to pay a round for the whole bar. You agree to these terms?"
As a response, the trooper smirked and put some credits on the table.
"Game on."

Pocketing the money, he shrugged and went to take care of his other customers. "Good luck, tough girl."
The wanderer started sipping her drink, letting out a small gasp at the taste - it was really, really strong. But she'd do it! She thirsted for a challenge, and the looks of interest the dancers shot her were indeed some nice motivation.

[member="Vaylin"]

 

[Vaylin]

Bastion was one of the most secure planets within the Sith Empire, and while it was possible to land and go about your business, there were always those that kept watch. For those that were enemies to the Empire, or in general persons of interest that required being kept an eye on.

You certainly weren't going to see a Jedi just wandering the streets, not unless they were able to conceal their presence and somehow bypass the various scans and security that awaited at the starports.

Natassia Traxen had the benefit of not being a Force User, and yet upon her arrival all her weapons had been confiscated until she returned to her ship in order to leave. But there was also the fact her face was registered as a 'person to watch', thanks to Vaylin. As whilst she never got the soldier's name, the Zabrak had got a good look at her face and had relayed that description to the Saaraishah so her identity could be spread across their domain in case she appeared on any of their planets.

But for to be Bastion of all places? That had given Vaylin a good laugh when she had been informed. But for the most part the Valkyrie had ordered them to just keep a simple watch over Natassia, only to alert her if she did anything drastic. Which for the most part, she never did aside from getting drunk and kicked out of bars.

Vaylin's time on the Capital had been a lot more frequent as of late. Ever since she had brought the Jedi prisoners before the Dark Lord, she had focused on training Shakka, preferring to throw her into the Academy rather than solely focusing on one-to-ones. They still happened, but unlike when Aria had found her, Shakka hadn't already been submerged in the Dark for years. So Vaylin had seen to using the facilities and other trainees to immerse the Twi'lek.

The Zabrak had been overseeing a spar when the notification had come in, raising concerns over Natassia when she had entered the Palace of the Dark Lord. And while it was only the public areas of it, they still requested the Valkyrie tail the soldier just in case. Vaylin had relented, leaving Shakka instructions for potentially the rest of the day, before she disappeared into the city and after Natassia.

Eventually, she had found her as she entered a familiar establishment, one Vaylin had visited a few times in the past. The Zabrak moved inside, giving a knowing nod to the security as she passed. Gone was her distinctive armour, and in its place was something more casual. Her pair of lightsabers were still ever present at her side.

With a silent step and presence, Vaylin slid into the seat next to Natassia, while the soldier was looking the other way.

"I gotta say, when I suggested you visit one of the Sith Worlds, I wasn't expecting it to be Bastion of all choices."

[member="Natassia Traxen"]​

 

[NT-6922]

To say Natassia was surprised by Vaylin's sudden appearance would be the galaxy's grossest understatement. She was drinking from what was potentially the strongest alcoholic beverage in the sector, when a Sith - and not just any Sith, the Sith who beat her up and lectured her - sat down right next to her and spoke in the most calm of voices. The liquid was already in her throat, and so she couldn't spit it out; instead, the surprise made her choke on it, taking a good minute to regain her composure (because Firebreath Liquor getting stuck in your throat isn't the most pleasant of experiences). Adrenaline was pumping inside of her once more, her heart beating faster and faster, her eyes darting across the bar, her instinct kicking in and making her search for a nearby weapon after looking the Zabrak up and down (and possibly losing a second too much on a certain area); she didn't fail to notice the pair of lightsabers at her sides, but struggling for them would be out of the question, as a simply activation would simply mean instant death for her.

Her distress was very, very obvious, sweat starting to run down her forehead as her heart sank: there was no way for her to fight her way out, especially when she was into the frakking capital of the Sith Empire. Stupid, stupid stupid! She chastised herself, cursing her damned curiosity that got her into yet another mess. Hesitantly at first, she decided to face death boldly, her gaze going back to Vaylin. It was then that her extreme panic started to recede, and she considered the situation rationally: Vaylin was not wearing a casual outfit rather than what she had been wearing during their fight on Mirial, and if she was there to whack her, she'd surely have a couple of armed guards with herself - but then again, she didn't know how the Sith worked, and maybe the woman simply thought she could take her on easily, which wasn't much of a stretch considering she was unarmed.

There was a moment of silence, as Natassia trained to make sense of the situation, finding her gaze stuck onto Vaylin's face. If she was to fight, she was going to die, and apparently, that wasn't supposed to be her fate today. Still, she had to admit that the Zabrak had a certain charm, for someone that tried to get rid of her some time ago.
Only now processing her words, she managed to relax slightly, calling for the barman, her eyes still refusing to leave the Zabrak's visage.
"A glass for my... friend", she said simply to the man who nodded and went to search for one.

Taking a small sip from her drink, she closed her eyes and took her time to savor the beverage, before allowing a timid smile to appear onto her face.
"For people that fought against each other, I'd say we're doing pretty good", she joked lightly as she took the glass the bartender handed her and filled it with the same amount of liquor that was present in her own glass, blushing as she realized how long she had been staring at her. Looking down into her glass, her smile remained, the Jedi auxiliary sighing lightly.
"If you don't mind me asking, my dear lightsaber-waving adversary, why am I not dead yet? I know you spared me on Mirial, but I fought for the Silver Jedi. And now I'm in the lion's den. Isn't there, like, a kill order on anyone that is affiliated with your enemies?"

[member="Vaylin"]

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin didn't even bother to hide the amusement that immediately came from Natassia's reaction. She was tempted to jokingly pat the woman on the back, but decided against it given her current reaction. Any attempt to move would likely send the soldier further into her distress.

Which was admittedly tempting in itself, but the Zabrak wasn't here to resume their fight on Mirial.

Although Natassia didn't know that right now.

Vaylin watched as she looked around; for a weapon no doubt, but the soldier would find none within reach. Standard protocol for non-citizens had seen her weapons confiscated, and any attempt to try and purchase one somewhere would've no doubt been caught by those watching her. Sure, there was always the option of grabbing one of the nearby bottles and using that. But the odds were heavily stacked against her, especially because it wouldn't take much for Vaylin to grab one of her lightsabers and attack.

Slowly though, the distress and panic began to fade as Natassia turned to analyzing the situation. It didn't diminish the Zabrak's amusement however, raising an eyebrow as the soldier's eyes lingered across her body all the while she was ordering a drink for her.

"Oh I don't know, we've only gotten to the introductions. Who knows what'll happen after this." Probably didn't help lessen the tension, although Vaylin's rather joking tone probably alleviated somewhat. The bartender soon returned and placed the glass down before the Zabrak. She reached over, grasping the bottle Natassia had just been holding and poured herself some. Vaylin didn't miss a beat as she put the bottle back down and immediately took a healthy sip of the Firebreath. It went down smoothly, and didn't seem to impact the Zabrak much behind her letting out a content sigh.

"You already said it yourself, you fought for the Silver Jedi, not with." Vaylin's attention was solely on Natassia. Even as she went for another sip, the Zabrak's eyes never left the soldier's. "It's not really that much of an answer, but you get my point. You're not a Jedi, not following their hypocrisy and code. You're a soldier in the middle of it - one may I point out didn't take a more lethal shot when you had me in your sights."

[member="Natassia Traxen"]​

 

[NT-6922]

Natassia felt... strange. There was a certain feeling of warmth and satisfaction that coursed through her as Vaylin expressed her amusement at her initial reaction. She felt like a mouse being toyed around by a cat - because after all, the Sith had absolute power over her in this situation. Although it seemed she still had no intention to harm her, she could change her mind and Natassia would be helpless to stop it.
Something that only made her feel this warmth again. Why? Why was she so enthralled by her? It made no sense!

Feeling quite flustered with the chaotic thoughts bouncing in her mind, she inhaled deeply and tried to remember the short lesson a padawan had given her on self-control. She slowly calmed down, taking a sip of Firebreath to occupy herself... and almost choked on it as she heard what her former opponent had to say next.
It sent energy throughout her body once more - the good kind of energy. Anxiety and fear at what it could entail - the image of Vaylin trying out all sorts of torturous methods on her in a dark room to try and fish out whatever secrets she might hold. And yet, once she registered the tone in which the Sith had spoken, it only made her more uncertain. What she now imagined was very different alright... and impossible to achieve. Yet another fantasy of her messed up mind.
She blushed violently, coughing to try and hide the redness in her cheeks and the certain air of shyness around her. Marked by war and conflict, it was easy for her to forget that she was, after all, a person stuck out of time that never really had the time to mature, entombed into a warlike persona very early on.

Thankfully, the dark-haired Zabrak changed the topic of her conversation, although the fact she kept looking at Natassia as she spoke kept that feeling of pleasant uneasiness present within her.
Sighing, she noticed that she had already drunk half her glass of Firebreath. She felt a surge of relief, pinning her reaction to the Sith's words on the exotic liquor.
Natassia dared to meet Vaylin's gaze, staring into her eyes with as much resolve as she could muster, which wasn't really impressive considering the circumstances.
"Do you know why?" she spoke quietly, the words leaving her mouth before she even had time to think about it. "Do you know why I didn't want to kill you?"

[member="Vaylin"]

 

[Vaylin]

"Well, if I were to guess...I'd say it was because you were tired of all the fighting, all the killing."

It certainly wasn't something Vaylin personally felt, and frankly if asked she'd probably be fine with it right up until she got old. It was her life, had been since the day her mother had started her training.

The situation on Iridonia hadn't been great when she was growing up, and even now it hadn't changed much. Fighting over territory, families trying to usurp other families, all in the name of expanding their territory. If you didn't have an expansive family, you weren't going to have a good time ever.

Amongst her siblings, Vaylin had been the second youngest and as such saw both sides of their mother's manipulations. How she had just bashed her older siblings down through constant training, making them malleable to twist into something she desired.

Warriors, dedicated solely to expanding the family's reach.

The very same thing she tried putting Vaylin through, only she had support from her father. And the fact the Force decided to come about and make a mess of her mother's plans. But even then, it still left her younger sibling to fend for herself...

Vaylin downed the last of her Firebreath. Some things needed to be forgotten, at least temporarily.

"So, what do you think of Bastion?"

A change of subject again, the melancholy mood shifting away. There was a twinkle in Vaylin's eye, clear amusement in her expression as she met Natassia's gaze. No anger or spite, just simple amusement in response to the soldier's reactions to her.

[member="Natassia Traxen"]​

 

[NT-6922]

"Not that bad of a guess", shrugged the trooper as she downed the rest of her drink, trying to wash away the grave atmosphere. She was here to enjoy herself, not to be so serious. And it was pretty clear that the Sith was an unlikely drinking partner, at least for now.
"The truth is... I don't really know. Everything's starting to weigh down on me: sometime I feel like I have no idea why I'm here. And sometime I feel like killing is in my blood. I keep switching back and forth: sometimes I feel dedicated to something, and sometimes I just want to care about myself and get myself satisfied - like right now, actually. Time passes, and I want more and more to look after myself. I gave so much to so many causes, and I didn't get shit in return but titles and ranks."
Falling silent, she went to refill her glass, not even realizing her honesty was only partly due to the alcohol in her system. There was something so beautifully ironic about figuratively spilling out her most honest thoughts to a Sith. And yet, regarding her as such felt... wrong. Like you would regard a thing, not a person. Abruptly, she switched aside, now completely facing the Zabrak, her eyes fixated on her's. As she heard the other woman's question, she tapped her finger onto her cheek, thinking on how to express her views of the Sith Empire's Capital.
"It reminds me of Coruscant so far", she finally said after a short moment of silent sipping. "Back when the Chancellor took power and became Emperor. For a time, it was much less of a fething place. It was actually livable, with security here and there, the administration and the system were rigid, but effective. That's how I see Bastion so far. But I wouldn't be surprised to learn that slavery or stuff like that could happen on the lower levels. I don't know much about the Sith, apart from Jedi lies."

Natassia let a smirk break her mask of neutral expression: a smirk that soon escalated into a small fit of laughter at the thought of what she was about to do. Her head craned back, her mouth open and her throat exposed, a perfect moment of vulnerability - and yet, she did not care in the slightest. The Republic, the Empire, the Jedi, the Sith... concepts she knew in her old life, and had seen still standing centuries afterwards when she was awoken. Why should she feel any loyalty to any of them, after all? Why should she let that stop her from living furiously, burning brightly until someone would inevitable snuff her out?
She advanced her hand from the counter, palm open as she gazed at Vaylin, amused.
Proposing a handshake to the person from the opposing side of the war, whom she had been fighting weeks prior. Someone so irritatingly hypnotizing and beautiful it made her drunk with her sight and words, someone who knew what buttons she had to push way too much.
"I know you've probably read up on me, since you've got security and all, but we've never really got properly acquainted. I'm Natassia Traxen."

[member="Vaylin"]

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin listened, intently so even. She was very familiar with the fact that alcohol had a tendency to make a person speak a lot more, reveal stuff they otherwise wouldn't.

Force knows, the Zabrak had been exactly that the first time she had gotten drunk. That time on the Technicolor Beat with Aria, and it hadn't taken that many glasses before Vaylin was over the point of no return.

A lot had been revealed that day, for better or worse.

Vaylin took a sip of her drink at the moment Natassia began to speak about Coruscant. The Zabrak almost choked on the liquid, but managed to pass it off as nothing - that and the soldier was preoccupied with reminiscing over the old days.

Which was the point of contention in Vaylin's mind in that moment.

Just how old was Natassia?

That line of thought was briefly broken when she suddenly began laughing. Vaylin raised an eyebrow, wondering what exactly she found amusing - or whether the drink was already getting to her. Nonetheless, the Zabrak shook Natassia's hand, a small amused smirk on her face.

"Well, nice to meet you Natassia Traxen. I'm Vaylin." She returned to her drink a moment later, but it was clear her attention was on the soldier. "I have a question through...'cause you were talking about Chancellor and Emperor...how old are you Natassia?"

She had brushed up on her history, especially given the Sith Empire made a point to look back at past examples and learn how to improve from them. And if she was correct, then the soldier was in fact referring to Palpatine, which then begged the question of just how exactly she was alive.

[member="Natassia Traxen"]​

 

[NT-6922]

Taking a swig from her drink, Natassia stared into her glass, lost in thought. It was a good question: how old was she, really? She never cared to check the current year they lived in: for all she knew, the calendar might've changed, and the whole Gulag Plague and Netherworld business sounded absolutely terrific. Closing her eyes, she plunged herself into her memories, her voice steady and quiet at the recollection of her years of warfare.
"I remember many things from my old life. I remember the chaos in Coruscant when the Clones marched on the Jedi Temple and put an end to them. I remember Chancellor Palpatine's rise to power, and how the Empire came to be. I remember Lord Vader and the 501st, the Death Star's destruction and the Battle of Endor... all of these things will never leave me. I fought to preserve galactic peace, but what could us stormtroopers do against a tide of rebels? Had we killed all of the Jedis, this would never of happened."

The grip on her glass grew with each word she spoke, her fury burning bright as she recollected the failure of the Empire - her failure. And when she was finally awoken, she realized with a heavy heart that nothing changed. The corruption of the Republic survived with the Galactic Alliance, and the Galactic Empire stood as a pale copy of the Empire of old. And, even worse, the Jedi had recovered... and they did not change one bit. Still arrogant, still considering that they were the galaxy's police.
"I should've died on Jakku", she continued somberly, filling her glass once more, only to empty it in one go. "There would be a certain peace in that. I would die with the Empire I swore to protect, instead of going to extended sleep and waking up in... this. This galaxy of yours, so different, and yet so sickeningly familiar."

[member="Vaylin"]