The Bottom of a Bottle

[Sinistra]

If ever there was a day for Sinistra to want to see the end of through the bottom of a glass, this was it. She hadn't been this pissed off and annoyed in she couldn't remember when. It was supposed to be a simple raid. Her, her men, in and out, secure the facility and then back home. It had turned to Sithspit pretty darned quick. Once they had landed back on the Imperial ship, she had debriefed her guys, and then headed for the darkest corner of the ship she could find, datapad in hand.

If she couldn't feel good about what happened today, she could at least be productive and review every thing pouring through the Emporium on Dressel. It was subdued in the bar she stumbled on, a cantina of sorts on the ship. She ordered a bottle of whiskey, a glass and took herself to an empty booth along the wall.

The blue tint of the datapad on her face make her look strangely luminescent in the dim light. She poured herself a glass of amber liquid and settled into her reports, her fingers tapping to the rhythm of the music on the side of the tablet.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Sinistra"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Bar Solace. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Hidden away amongst the many hallways of a nondescript Imperial carrier, the bar was the to-go-to location for any washed-away or tired Sith to go and drink the blues away. Taloraan had been a practical joke for all intents and purposes. The mission had seemed easy enough - get in there, secure the refineries and make sure that his own property wasn’t vandalized by eager idiots.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]But it ain’t ever simple or easy when Danger fething Arceneau gets involved.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]He should have guessed she would get herself involved. After Copero… [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]what a mess[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px], but the gal always did have a knack to get herself into problems.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Always so concerned about the lives of the innocent. Can’t really blame her for deciding to step in before a repeat of history could occur, awkward situation that one… considering the massacre of Copero had been his responsibility.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“A double this time, Frank.” the Voice of the Dark Lord lowered himself into a seat, rather unceremoniously and without the usual pompous baritone pleasure. His seat was coincidentally only a single seat away from Sinistra.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]But she wasn’t on his mind this time around.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Solace was a place where Sith could just… mingle. Where ranks didn’t matter all that much and where they could drop the usual ‘Holier Than Thou’-act that plagued their generation. It was frankly heaven for men and women like them.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Can’t ritually sacrifice a village or sink a city every day of the week, no?[/SIZE]

 

[Sinistra]

She was deep in a report from Lianna when she heard a familiar voice coming from a seat over. [member="Darth Carach"]. She exhaled a frustrated sigh and actually rolled her eyes before she realized what she was doing. There didn't seem to be anywhere she could retreat to without making it look like she was actually getting up to get away from him. That was a conversation she didn't feel like having with the Voice of the Dark Lord. Although, if she was going to have her patience tried so spectacularly today, she might as well sit down for a cozy chat with Reverance, Carach and the Dark Lord himself.

It felt like Kashyyyk. It felt like Saber and Phantom and Vitiosis were stepping up to take her opponents again as if she could not defend herself.

"But Sinistra, you are a Lady. Ladies do not need to fight at the front. They do not need to take those blows." The ghosts of her battle brothers in her ears. Weak, cowardly males. To them, she was something to be protected. Sheltered. Sister was a name she could accept from them. Lady never was. She began to fight back. She began to train harder and she started to beat them. The only one left she could not best by the end was Lord Feral himself. He was dead now. Long since passed, just like the others. Short sighted and too blind to see her true worth behind the pretty face. Anyone who called her Lady found themselves bleeding or dead. It was a peculiarity she still kept.

The memories stoked the fire of her current anger and she finished the drink in her hand and reached for the bottle to pour another, her golden eyes lost in the distance. You didn't have to sense her anger, it was pretty clear from the look on her face.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Sinistra"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]In a lot of ways Carach wasn’t really in the mood for it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]It was just [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]something[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] about ripe indignancy that made him want to roll his eyes too. Clearly the lady had figured that his intervention on her behalf had been about [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]her[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] - Carach had never been much of a sexist, not even when he had been younger. It simply never seemed to be an intelligent way to view the Galaxy when it was populated by women like Varanin, Mierin and Arceneau.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Women inferior? You could pull out twenty examples that clearly told ya otherwise.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]But she wouldn’t know that about him, she’d simply automatically assume it was all about trying to shelter some hot ass in an attempt to keep her safe. When in reality Carach simply had tried to prevent her from slaughtering Arceneau.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Because Danger would have intervened for Cryax - no matter what the smart path was.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Carach kept his gaze steady. Not even trying to look to his right and look at her. It was the perk of being a mentalist… you didn’t need the physical to see with the spiritual.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“Lord Sinistra. Do we need to take this outside?” he calmly asked, before finishing off a shot.[/SIZE]

 

[Sinistra]

"No, my Lord."

She exhaled and leaned forward, her arms crossed underneath her head. The warm lull of whiskey was in her bloodstream now as she had a couple glasses before he sat down. She was trying to let it go, but that magical tipping point of speaking her mind arrived as the liquor pulsed through her.

She sat back rather suddenly, and turned to look at him properly.

"Actually, yes [member="Darth Carach"], you can tell me what I have done to become the entertainment piece for Lord Vornskr and yourself. I'm not stupid, and I wouldn't have killed those karking idiots. I...It's..."

She was stumbling over her tongue and huffed, shaking her head.

"This is why I don't leave Dressel. I do not interact with other Sith well."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Sinistra"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The silence was palpable. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Like a heavy cloud it hung between the two of them as the last hackling syllable died down. And the only thing that Carach could think of was what [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Frank[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] was currently thinking, how did a man like that even survive through the night - dealing with all the drunk Sith Lords that considered lives to be as easily dispensable as a sheet of toilet paper?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“You are an unknown. An enigma.” the Sith Lord finally answered her with a soft shrug. He didn’t give her any looks, instead opting to take another shot and closing his eyes.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]The scent of anger mixed with the subtle frustration was palpable in the air… it smelled like oregano and the color orange. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“Half of the Sith Lords in our ranks would have cut down Arceneau and Bane for less.” [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]So why wouldn’t you?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Another shot. Alcohol was breezing through his veins, but it had never been necessary to loosen his tongue… it had always been silken smooth at the worst times.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]It was then that Carach [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]did[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] turn his head, amber eyes meeting hers. Perhaps it was the last note of genuinity in her voice or perhaps the last sentence simply seemed different from the accusing, infuriating tone. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“You are doing pretty good actually. If you want my advice, you should take another shot and then insult my manliness.” The Sith raised his eyebrow. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“It might make you feel a little better.”[/SIZE]

 

[Sinistra]

[member="Darth Carach"]

She was a wild card, she could understand that. It was specifically because she was an unknown that she was able to the do things she did, to influence the ones she did. To bend the ones she did. Wearing your darkside openly will close some doors. Infecting others with it like a slow acting poison? Well that was style and grace.

"Half the Sith in the ranks then do not understand the risk in destabilizing the Arceneau Trade network. If she goes away, we may not be so benefited by the ones who seek to fill the void. Does she piss me off? Yes. I've sent underlings in to negotiate deals with her people before. They always come back with a spinning head. I realized quickly I have to send women. The Chiss..."

She huffed again.

"He was just stupid. I would love to see if his entrails match his eyes. For better or worse now, my face has been seen by two people it would have been better had not. Maybe it's time to come out of the field."

She poured another couple fingers and turned off the datapad, before she looked at him with an artfully arched eyebrow.

"I wouldn't dare insult your masculinity. Your taste in booze though, karking hideous."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Her reward for that was half a smile, before his eyes returned to the swirling of amber in his own glass. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Any other men might have said something about it. Might have tried to reaffirm their choice in their drink, make a riposte about her own alcoholic substance or otherwise shown that the quip had punctured the hull of their protection - [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]otherwise shown that their masculinity could be insulted as easily as mentioning their choice of a drink.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]But one does not hold the title he held for so long without knowing the ups and downs, the turns and wrinkles of the game.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]And it was as clear as the light of day that this woman knew the game too. There were subtle differences in approach, in inclination of speech and the barest movements in body, but there was that same kind of confidence that only the eldest held - Sith these days… they were like children, playing around with Force Lightning and masks, thinking it made them something akin to Gods. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]It was this tendency that created creatures like Cryax. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Respect was no longer a constant, not even in a Sith-ruled entity such as theirs.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“What made you decide to appear on Taloraan then?” Carach would finally ask. It was two parts civility and one part curiosity - one overruled the other, but it did not make the question any less genuine than it really was.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Sinistra"][/SIZE]

 

[Sinistra]

[member="Darth Carach"]

"Orders."

She weighed her words carefully, thinking about the circumstances that brought her to this particular spot. The risk here on the ship was minimal. Her name was not known, no one would know her by her face. Spins could be placed on her being here as long as she could avoid future entanglements with Arceneau and the Chiss governor.

She didn't know who was pulling the strings or to what end, but that is what a spy is for. To seek out the unknown, to find the clues that are overlooked by others, to be the students of behavior to read the secrets that are carried behind the eyes.

She took a measured risk, being here. Being without the mask. However, if she was going to get to the bottom of it, she would have to take these chances, to force the hand.

"Someone higher than me has pulled some strings, called me in from the field and pointed me to some very interesting locations. Taloraan was one of them. For whatever reason, someone wanted me here today."

She watched him for reaction, though she knew he would probably give none. Those in leadership usually had pretty good poker faces.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Huh, is that so?” the Sith Lord replied, some interest made apparent from the expression shining through the amber glass. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]According to Carach there were a few types of Sith out there at the end of the day, types that could be further simplified to roughly [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]two[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] types. Those that focused on material and those that focused on the immaterial mysteries. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Those that focused on enhancing their bodies - they were powerful, yes. But they were blind to so many things that the later would have noticed right away, the direction the mind was inclined to during a conversation, the aura a sentient was radiating, things like that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]They were [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]hints[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px], telling to those that were aware of them.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“I wonder why anyone would want you out in the open.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Except maybe as a test… to see what kind of skills she possessed and if she was useful for the future.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Sinistra"][/SIZE]

 

[Sinistra]

"It's a game, Lord Carach. Most of the rank and file see me as just another in a long line of Sith bending knee to the Dark Lord. Someone put me on Taloraan not because they want me out in the open, so much as placing me where I can be most effective at unsettling the power structure. Considering that I have been given only places to appear and cursory instructions, whoever is pulling the strings expects one of two outcomes: either they know how I will react or they know what I will find. So then it becomes a question of who has most to gain from my findings and who has most to lose."

She poured a little more in her glass, her eyes glancing back up to him, gauging his reaction to her acknowledgment that she was being used as a pawn in a grander game. Her fingers curled around her drink, moving the dark liquid around the walls, the thin legs of alcohol streaming down the sides. It raised to her lips, her eyes never leaving his, an arch to her eyebrow.

"What brings you to Taloraan? Surely, there are more pressing matters to one of your position than this acquisition?"

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The corner of his mouth turned slightly upward at her own explanation - it could have meant a myriad of things: perhaps he was simply amused at the way her [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]mind[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] worked, might be that he considered it unlikely that an unnamed Sith Lady with no face was being used by the established power players, perhaps there was a very [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]different[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] reason for his amusement… or it might be simply nothing, just a Sith Lord smiling. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Highly unlikely, but then again. Why would an experienced Sith Lord who had held his high position for such a long time give himself away by something as boorish as an expression?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Usually, yes.” the Voice acknowledged the rarity of the situation. He was usually more involved in the efforts on the east front, where his own domain was located - so why would a Voice of the Dark Lord find himself in the same room as an unnamed Sith Lord whose entire presence there was strange to begin with?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“But I have found out early that by sticking to the shadows the rest of the Sith [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]forget[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] why you are in the position in the first place.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]And when Sith forget why they should hold fear… rebellion and daggers in the dark followed soon.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“So sometimes I find myself stopping by at an important effort, [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]reminding[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] the Sith why I am who I am.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]A fairly reasonable explanation.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Sinistra"][/SIZE]

 

[Sinistra]

"It takes a delicate touch to maintain power among those whose sole driving motivator is to covet it. That you have managed to keep it so long is a triumph of your skill."

There was a dark chuckle as she sipped the liquid, setting the glass back down.

"Or a commentary on the complacency of those who are situated beneath you. Probably a little of both."

She knew enough of the rank structure of the OS to know that there were a few vaunted positions at the home office. The Dark Lord reigned above all, then came the Eye and the Wrath. Two Sith Lords she was content to not cross the paths of, albeit for different reasons. She did not like the prophetic Eye, the Wrath was another story. The lick of flame at her throat that afternoon had signaled his proximity but it faded just as it had bloomed, a fitting descriptor of their connection.

Below them were the Voices and Hands, then the Wills. Plenty of room to move up. Demotion opened a hole for the cloying masses to commence the backbiting for. If one impressed the Dark Lord, he was not unknown to create a position just for that person, otherwise the hierarchy was enforced from within itself. Meaning it was a grand game they all played indeed.

"I have never been one to thirst for the throne. The visibility closes doors and forces you to rely on others acting in your name to meet your ends. The more you place your faith in others, the more likely you are to be betrayed, don't you think?"

She was curious, while she had him there to find out what sort of man he was, what sort of Sith he was. Sure, she could read a dossier and known in a few minutes what kind of women he preferred, what he drank, what he ate. That was not knowing someone. Drinking at a bar and talking philosophy? Now that was introducing her to his mind. The much more tantalizing prize to be sure.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Carach just smiled for a moment - she was good, of course. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]But his entire [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]deal[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] was figuring out people, their purposes and what they were doing, it was part of the reason why he was still around for such a long time, you didn’t stay inside the Sith Hierarchy for long if you were careless. As evidenced by the long, long string of dead Sith Lords who had held high-ranking positions within that hierarchy.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]So many people dead.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The Sith Lord gestured with his hand towards the corner of the bar, which had a lounge of sort, corner sofa and more importantly isolated from the rest of the establishment. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]He would play her game, but the Voice didn’t want them to be overheard by anyone while playing.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]A few stalking steps and they settled into the corner, where they would be able to see anyone coming in, anyone who would approach them. Some would call Carach paranoid, in the midst of his power base, but the truth was that the real threat did not always come from daggers in the night.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]It was knowledge and information that truly could mean the end of one in power.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Leg crossed around the other and leaning into the leather, the Sith Lord seemed all but relaxed right now, but a lot of things [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]seemed[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] to be the case this night - and not all of them were correct at any way of the meaning.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Mmmhmm, as you were saying.” Carach replied, almost purring, but not quite. “The highest apex of power comes with a [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]host of its own limitations. In my experience you have to start paying attention to everything from [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]appearance[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] to the very last syllable of a professed word, yes?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Sinistra"][/SIZE]

 

[Sinistra]

They excused themselves from the position of prominence at the bar to a more private venue but the stakes of the game were just as high. Drink on a side table, she was sitting a little sideways on the couch, turned towards him, her right leg folded beneath her. Her right arm on the back of the couch, propped her head up, her left sitting in her lap. She watched the way he walked, the way he sat down, the way he talked and where his eyes drifted as he spoke. She looked at how he responded to her posture, to her tone, to her look.

To the untrained eye, it would look like Carach had selected another conquest, another piece of flesh to be consumed and discarded. It would look like a man and a woman walking the line of seduction, but that was only the obvious show.

To them, it was a choreographed dance, with expected movements and intricate steps. Every word spoken was a calculated move, every action was a choice to be scrutinized and broken apart. Who was truly sitting on this couch? A man and a woman or two very knowledgeable students of behavior and circumstance?

Her mezzo was thick and velvety as she spoke, low enough that they could be heard but not overheard by others.

"I would think that you have to pay attention to everyone and everything. Weigh your risks, and know your opponents better than you know yourself sometimes. You can't just watch others, you have to watch every thing you say and do as well. The only real time you can slip off the tight constraints of that scrutiny is alone in your own room. How long can you keep the facade in place, to keep that con going on? Well. That is the test of the spy master. Can you balance it all and not drop a piece? I don't think you would have it any easier, but at least some of your attacks come in daylight. The bigger you are, the more of a target you become."

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]Quite so[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px].” the Sith Lord agreed with a half of a nod, his eyes lingering just one inch too long to be called appropriate, but just bordering on the [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]acceptable[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] by the fluid motion of him returning to meet her gaze. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]In truth this woman [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]interested [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]him in more ways than most women did these days - many of the female Sith Lords lacked the common finesse that this one was projecting so easily. They were all [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]angst[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px], anger, sadness, emotional cutting to the soul itself, they whined, cried and complained, thinking that because in a long-distant youth their parents were killed this gave them a holy mandate from the Force itself to cause destruction on a galactic-scale. There was the one-night pleasure they provided by boredom and sometimes bordering disgust at the sheer superficiality of their existence.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Ah… how he missed the company of the rare others, how he missed his old apprentice in those moments.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]Hmmm, the life of a Voice is quite different from the Dark Lord, Lord Sinistra. For one[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]…” and he gave her a smile, a generous one. “[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]The attention of our opponents are split amongst us, for we are many, whilst the seat of the Dark Lord is only occupied by one - then there is the fact that some seats are left unsupervised these days, in those situations the remaining Voices take a custodial role, but the fact remains. A sufficiently capable and ambitious Sith Lord could find himself or herself[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] within reach of it, perhaps with the patronage of an existing one, hmm?[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Carach let that linger for a moment, watching and [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]feeling[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] a possible reaction.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]Then again, there is something delightful about being cloaked in the shadows, being able to pull and push without the spotlights aimed[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px].”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Sinistra"][/SIZE]

 

[Sinistra]

"You are legion for you are many, yes. I'm well aware of the ones who demand my attention and loyalty, Lord Carach."

The sly smile on her lips meant she clearly saw the trap in his words, the enticing carrot dangling just in front of her face. She pulled her glass to her hand, taking a sip before letting it rest on her thigh, her tongue moistening her lips as she looked slightly to the left and weighed her words.

"I said before that I have never wanted an overt seat of power, and what would that seat be worth if it was given to me like a trinket, rather than earning that seat myself? No, if I had designs on climbing the ladder of the One Sith, I would not be so foolish to think that my words would carry weigh in the halls by virtue of sleeping my way through the ranks. If I wanted that seat, I would prove in shadows and blood that I had bested the competition and therefore are not to be trifled with. But this is all just hyperbole."

Another sly smile and a sip of whiskey.

"I belong in the shadows where my work carries more weight."

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Had she accepted his offer he wouldn’t have been able to respect her - so the Sith Lord was pleased that she didn’t reach out for his offer, so many these days that simply tried to bypass all the work and snatch the toys out of the professed hand offered, not realizing the price they all had to pay at the end of the day.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]No respect given to them, boredom setting in would cause them to fall… no, working for your successes was far more worthwhile in the long run.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Also more satisfying, if you asked the Voice.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]"Wise words, my Lord." he reached out to his own glass, taking a sip during the lull in the conversation and Carach gave it a quite ponder.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]In a lot of ways this had been a… [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]job[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] interview, Taloraan had been the beginning of it - to see how well she worked outside the margins of her own comfort zone: and she had responded fairly well, though he had not foreseen the arrival of Arceneau and Bane to complicate the matters. It had only made things more interesting for him, though. But the fact of the matter was that the Voice needed someone in those shadows, he had long lost the privilege of being that shadow himself, but this one seemed to be still quite proficient, how to snare her though… that was the true question, was it not.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Talks about the shadows and the work there reminds me of certain affairs that need doing.” in truth he had been postponing [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]that[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] piece of work for too long now. With the conflict against the Republic restarting itself once again his attention had been divided, the other Voices had their little helpers, but Carach had never been [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]too[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] trusting of the Acolytes and Knights that were moving within the Dark Lord’s creation.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Call it a healthy dose of skepticism mixed with a light paranoid touch.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“I would ask for your assistance in the matter - a professional [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]touch[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] would be appreciated.” the first step in many.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Sinistra"][/SIZE]

 

[Sinistra]

And there is was. The pitch. Now they were getting somewhere. Sinistra didn't move a muscle, but the depth behind her eyes changed, the shrewd gaze now looking over his finely cut features with a new seriousness, even though her facial expression hadn't changed a bit. Her left hand moved to her waist and a small device was removed from a pouch and activated, sitting it on the couch cushion between them. It was designed to counter any eavesdroppers, and make sure their conversations would not be recorded. She kept her back to the rest of the room at large so her lips could not be read, but to onlookers, she was just another pretty face in the Voice's sights.

"I may be able to help you. What exactly are you looking for help with? Is this something you require me to handle personally..." The innuendo hung in the air as her left eyebrow arched delicately. "or is this something my cell can also be involved in?"

She took a sip of her glass to allow him time to think about his answer. No one responds to these kinds of questions without careful consideration of context and tone.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[SIZE=10.6667px]His mind touched her, gently, and boundaries just… [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]vanished[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] into oblivion. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]It was as if the room suddenly cleared out from any needless distractions, time itself slowing down to accommodate the expanse of [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]being[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] and [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]essence[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] between two lords of power, there were no secrets in this meta-existence - there was just that, [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]truth[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]. A scary thing for two shadowy figures who lived and breathed within the tight confines of plausible deniability, but such was the workings of one like Carach.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Once he [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]chose[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] you, once he found you [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]worthy[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px], there was the eventual reveal. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Some would say it was not the Sith way, that there needed to be a certain amount of [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]secrets[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px], but he had learned a long time ago that there was only [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]one[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] thing that separated the Sith at large from the general riffraff of society.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]It was the will to do whatever was necessary to achieve your goals. Any goals. It could be as elaborate as the deconstruction of a Galaxy-spanning Empire or as simple as being hailed as the best librarian within a single city - the only thing that mattered was the absence of restrictions to pursue your goals.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]When Matsu had first accepted his offer, he had shown her the extent of his power, not as a way of intimidation, but as an [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]offer[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] in itself. To become part of something that was greater and more [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]real[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] than the twisty words of one of many glib Sith Lords.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]"Just… the two of us."[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] his thoughts reached her across the expanse. [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]"I will have to assess your qualities and assets from up close, I am afraid."[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The words themselves blatant passes, but through the link they shared now there was the simple truth spelled out - this job was important, they would need to move fast and there were not a great many who he could trust it with.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Sinistra"][/SIZE]