The Caravaggio Conspiracy

[Darth Empyrean]

Cirqa 853 ABY
Bastion
__________________________________

The room stood with a low, unbecoming light, small candles surrounding the office giving off the bare minimum requirements for Maliphant to be seen, his head buried in his hand. The day’s events had been relatively regular, no discerning point of concern, but what stood on his mind was far more impactful than the day to day routine of signing approval papers and interesting segments for the sake of Bastion and its governmental position. He didn’t regret attaining the position despite its somewhat mundane schedule, but what he did regret was allowing himself to be the target of a conspiracy.

Only a day before, his assistant had come into his office with a cold sweat on her brow, a small hand written letter with her. In today’s day and age, a letter was uncommon, almost unwelcome with how archaic they were, yet the concern on his secretary gave him a small measure as to what it might involve. As it was given to him, he took it, opened it, and read its contents before letting it slip from his fingers; a similar anxiety overwhelming him as the wording began to sink in…

“We know who you are. You will not survive this.”

Over the previous weeks, Maliphant had spent weeks discussing an unknown past with innumerable individuals. From [member="Darth Vesper"] opening his eyes first to the raw reality of the situation, to [member="Darth Morrow"] giving him small hints at the life of a slave he once held, amplified by slowly recurring, more vivid dreams of a life he never knew, with strangers of all sorts he had never met. None of it had made sense, but it was enough to understand the severity of the letter that had been sent to him; someone intended to blackmail the newly appointed governor of Bastion.

With it being the only home he seemed to know, his worries turned to his ‘family’. [member="Nilia Saavilin"], [member="Thesh"], and the various droids that accompanied his home were all he truly had; all others a sham to fill the idealized nature of a Sith, something he had embodied, but almost regretted in how hard it was to control the nature of its strength. Even now, with a rising tension in his heartbeat, he wanted to destroy the office, send out waves of lightning and embodied assaults of pure emotion; something to externalize what he felt, but he knew how immature, how childish it would appear. Sith respected power, surely, but they respected control more.

As Maliphant slowly lifted his head in the darkness, he awaited the secret envoy he had hired from a local agent on Bastion. A member of the empire who had little in terms of contacts, little in terms of true weight, and someone that Maliphant could not necessarily trust, but someone he could get rid of easily if the situation were to occur. If it were to be demanded of him.

His molten golden gaze fell on the door, waiting for the man who would become his temporary ally to come through.


@Cole Harper

 

[Rakaan Horne]

BASTION​

GOVERNOR'S OFFICE​

​

There had never really been anything exemplary about Kole Harper. It wasn't a name worth knowing, a face worth remembering. He couldn't offer anything beyond his skills as an investigator and a combatant, and whilst potentially valuable there had been all too many that could offer the exact same thing. Lynnori, he knew, was sure to argue that point; rambling on about something, somehow, how special he may be. It didn't matter. Not to anyone else, that is. An Agent that owed a debt, a file blank and cascading with ink. It was an Empire he served, but it may be similar to slavery. If he disappeared only one person was to miss him, and she held no weight here nor anywhere.

The Droid who hadn't a clue of it's origins took simple steps down a long, spacious hallway. His booted feet caused an echo with each collision against the marble they made. His eyes had wandered, shifting left and right at the various things that clung to the walls or rest upon displays. Kole, whilst on Bastion, spent a lot of his time dealing with reports and checking the factual nature of them. It had been mundane, it had been boring, and his thoughts when to his own 'family'. Maliphant and Harper had something in common.

The Governor's Assistant had barely stood from her desk, a hand planted on it as another barely edged the glasses that rest on her fast forwards. It was with squinted eyes that she read the identification card he held, and to her credit, it was in rather small font. "K-001." It had been uttered in a mumbled whisper beneath her breath before shifting back into her seat. "The Governor can see you now." She stated professionally whilst transitioning her interests elsewhere on that crowded desk.

Kole offered a nod of his head before concealing his handheld item, then approaching those doors. His hand pushed against one, opening it up as he slinked on through. His artificial eyes had locked with the Sith's amber orbs. More steps taken with a nod of acknowledgement. "Sir." He greeted with what was barely a nod.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Bastion
Governor's Office

Cirqa 853 ABY
__________________________________

As Kole spoke, Maliphant sat quietly, watching him, forcing him to wait. Silence stood between them for several cold, tedious seconds, interrupted only by the methodical tapping of Maliphant’s fingers against the table; filling the room in a way that nothing else could, other than the slowly rising tension. Maliphant let it do so, until even a droid could feel some anxiety, a small scintilla of trepidation, and just the slightest bit of intimidation at his presence;

Only then did he speak, when the silence had done his job.

“Agent Harper…”, he said somewhat quietly, his voice just short of regular conversational volume.

“Recently brought to Bastion, though much of your record has been scrubbed. Living with one ‘Lynnori Cruz’. Enjoys the occasional drink and uses an RB-03 Blaster Pistol…”

“Could’ve chosen that better…”, Maliphant said under his breath as his hand lifted.

His finger moved to tap on the desk he leaned against, lifting himself up from his somewhat downtrodden posture and replacing it with the confidence that came with dealing with high level government officials. As he did, a small dossier of Kole came up, with far more detail regarding him than Kole was likely comfortable with others knowing, and Maliphant was no exception to this rule, a complete stranger with an entire history to a man he barely knew. He leaned back, looking it over as he let silence do the work once more, letting Kole look it over just as he had, to take in just the all encompassing detail his life entailed. From Lynn, to his life on Bastion, even the address he stayed at, and his favorite place to relax; All of it the result of working with the Sith. They always kept tabs on their agents.

“Does all this information make you uncomfortable, Agent Harper? A complete disregard for privacy?”, he said in an unassuming, almost rhetorical manner.

Regardless of his answer, Maliphant would continue.

“It doesn’t matter-”, he interjected, “- the reason I brought you here today is to help me deal with an issue of discretion.”

Maliphant sighed as he pulled a hand to the top drawer of his desk, pulling out a small package from it and sliding it across the table, obviously already opened once. With it infront of Kole, he would motion to open it, letting a small hologram open up with nothing but an empty mask, hollow eyes, and unmoving lips, matched only in peculiarity by its heavily modulated, multi-vocal tones, as if both male and females tones of various pitches overlayed themselves again and again, just barely being understandable as it spoke;

“Darth Maliphant, the esteemed Governor of Bastion. We have discovered your past, the crimes you have committed against both the Sith Empire, and the Outer Rim as a whole. We demand fifty million credits, deposited in the listed anonymous accounts, and your immediate resignation from the position of Governor. Failure to do so will result in three strikes; for each failure to abide by our rules, you shall be punished. On the third strike, we will release the following holovideo.”, the many voices finished, before the mask was quickly replaced by the holographic reenactment of a younger, shorter haired Maliphant covered in both men and women with far more tired eyes, surrounded by what appeared to be a massive party.

It displayed a monster, a hedonistic savant capable of nothing but indulging in the greatest pleasures any sycophant could chase. His lips were covered in eight different types of lip stick from nine different participants, while he wore nothing but an exceptionally tight pair of underwear and a long winding fur coat buried beneath him; while a twil’ek sat under each arm, abiding by his every command. It stood as a prime example of who Maliphant once was, even if he didn’t recognize the disgusting spawn that was before him.

With a quickly souring, sick expression, Maliphant closed the box and slid it back into the drawer, almost slamming it shut with excessive force. A hand quickly moved to rub his temple before he looked up to Kole once more, speaking once against just below regular volume;

“They seek to dispose me. Tear down all I’ve done, with falsified lies and slander.”, he said with a harsh motion.

“I called you here today to deal with it, Agent Harper.”

[member="Kole Harper"]

 

[Rakaan Horne]

BASTION​

GOVERNOR'S OFFICE​

​

If Maliphant had set out with the goal of enabling an understanding of the reach he had, then it had been successful. It wasn't entirely something that was doubted, though. A Sith Lord placed as the Governor of their Empire's Capital? It didn't leave much to the imagination. Kole may have had limited experience among Sith, let alone Sith Lords, but he had always known to be cautions. They often seemed to have a presence about them, some strange thing flowing freely from them that had always caused the artificial hairs to rise on the rear of his neck. It wasn't as if their connection through the force had been palpable, however. He was only a Droid, incapable of understanding those very things.

His facial features had contorted, allowing his suspicion to be plainly seen by the very man who had caused such a thing. Although, it had closely resembled that of stoic concern. Kole had always been capable of proving it difficult to understand his thoughts, or emotional reactions. He kept it all under-wraps, mostly. The Agent's gaze narrowed and his brow furrowed at the mere mention of [member="Lynnori Cruz"], a subtle tilt to his head, too. Kole only ever had one person, or non-person to care for, to love, but he always feared her safety. Especially after... it.

Kole had no words to offer, only intrigued and concerned gazes. It even extended to the dossier of himself, displaying all that information he hadn't really considered in quite some time. There was certainly something discomforting about it all, to see how easily he had been studied. Did it extend into his home-life? Had they known how he- they spent their time, typical meal times, sleeping patterns, so on? Possibly. It was impressive, no doubt, but disconcerting all the same.

It was after Kole witnessed those images, heard that audible message had he began to really understand everything that was currently happening here on Bastion, within this office. He thought he had, at the very least. He had a basic procedure, one to scroll through at the beginning of it all. "I need to know when and how these came into your possession, and if you have any suspicions as to who 'they' are." Kole spoke rather firmly, straight to the point of it. It was his typical routine, he didn't want to waste any time.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Bastion
Governor's Office

Cirqa 853 ABY
__________________________________

“Political enemies, Sith from the academy, external forces of the Empire-”, he said, each with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“It’d be easier to name who it couldn’t be than who it could, Agent Harper. Imperial politics are cutthroat, no matter what the propaganda would have you see. There is no way to tell who it is off this alone.”, he said with a growing annoyance in his tone, though not at Kole, more a disembodied, vague annoyance that seemed to fill the room as a whole, adding to its already tense atmosphere.

Maliphant idled for a moment, reaching into his desk once more for two things, the first being a small cigarette he lit with his finger, a quick form of pyromancy through the force, and a small handwritten letter. Blowing smoke from his nose, he pulled the cigarette from his lips and pushed the note over, letting Kole read what was one it.

“We know who you are. You will not survive this.”, was all it spoke.

“This is the first note, the one that was delivered to another secretary of mine, Ira. She gave it to me with fear, that it simply appeared on her desk one day. Letter isn’t outright strange in itself, but there are small messages layered in the ink; geopoints I used to find the message you just saw…”, he said quietly as he took another drag.

Smoking was something Maliphant never did, and although Kole wouldn’t know the difference, it was easy to assume by the lack of an ashtray on the desk. Maliphant simply ashed it in the air, let the debris fall where it may, the sign that he did it from stress. Far was as dangerous as a stressed out Sith, but for the moment he seemed docile enough.

“After searching the last few days, I found a second one. Has coordinates to an old warehouse on the outskirts of town. Not sure what’s there, but I need someone I can trust to come with, someone who has the knowhow to look for clues or… traces, something of who might have been there.”

“That’s where you come in, Kole.”

[member="Kole Harper"]

 

[Rakaan Horne]

BASTION​

GOVERNOR'S OFFICE​

​

Kole had always known how to read people. It might have been a talent he possessed since birth, but, well, he knew now it was regarding his inception; a series of complex algorithms within his programming, or default inorganic brain that enabled such a thing. Regardless, it had been a skill, and a useful one at that. A face could only contort in so many ways, and a voice could only reach so many pitches. They revealed all he needed to know if observed with enough attention to detail.

It were the little things that counted.

He listened first: Maliphant was agitated, tense, stressed, perhaps fearful. It didn't take someone or something to arrive at that conclusion, however. Anybody could, for it was too plain to see. Maybe that fear wasn't expressly brought outwards, but, well, in certain circumstances, with everything on the line, he earned the right to be. Kole wouldn't blame him nor think less of him. It wasn't as if that mattered, anyways. He was nothing more than a machine masquerading as a man and whilst it was his own little secret, they were bound to find out eventually.

​He watched second: The Governor had his own strange way of smoking. That had really been all he could tell beyond the aforementioned feelings, or what have you. Frivolous in nature, not requiring an explanation.

The Agent remained rather still, a brief nod of acknowledgement offered here and there, but nothing much beyond that. "Understood." Kole replied so professionally. They had a start. It was more than most cases.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Understood.

While Maliphant would have appreciated something more reassuring, even more well considered, he found comfort in the fact Kole was a man of few words; at least on the surface. It’d at least give the impression he wouldn’t blab about the situation, and an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure, especially in a delicate situation such as this. As the cigarette flaired to life once more as he drew on it, he let out an exasperated sigh, though one more out of discontent than discomfort, and stood.

In a fluid motion, he put the cigarette out, half smoked, and drew from the desk a key to a speeder; likely the personal transport vessel of Bastion’s notorious governor. Idling for a moment, he moved to grab a coat before motioning Kole to follow; as was required of his new companion. Nobody would stop them, though on a holonet tv nearby Kole would hear the background of some forlorn story;

“... speaking on the fact that Darth Maliphant, Bastion’s Governor, lacks the experience required of its imperial position, and seeks to upheave his new rule through forced electoral elections. At current, the standing political opponents are…”, the newscaster would be cut off by Maliphant as he began to speak;

“I suppose when we’ll get there, we’ll see what kind of people they are. See if they have any secondary goals…”, he said with a mild calm that seemed more dangerous than placant.

A press of the key and the lights on a speeder blinked before its engines began their pre-flight tests, all in accordance with an autostart module installed some time after Maliphant had received the speeder. He opened his door and moved to sit, it’s interior a well refined black leather with gold colored stitching wherever it seemed aesthetic;

“Got anything you’re afraid of someone finding out, Agent Harper?”, he said as the vehicle roared to life and zoomed through the air to join the rest of Bastion’s traffic.


[member="Kole Harper"]

 

[Rakaan Horne]

It was, simply, how Kole often existed.

It didn't take a genius to realise that the less one spoke, the less one revealed. Kole had known of this for quite some time, and he so often lived by it. There wasn't a singular soul that was indulged in the entirety of Harper. He kept most at an arms length, and despite the fact one came far closer, not even she had been entirely aware of Kole in his entirety. It was better left unsaid, least he decided long ago. Kole left that life and speaking of it might draw him back in.

Pointless. It was his perception of it.

The HRD only waited, he watched, and then he followed. There was nothing extraordinary about his expressions or gait, simply something monotonous and boring. There were all too many agents that embodied the physicality of Agent Harper, and Maliphant may very well see that right now. His eyes, however, diverted to the screen mid-stride, viewing and listening until it's eventual cease of transmission. It interested him, somewhat. But it wasn't exactly important considering his current circumstances, right? No, of course not.

Kole slinked himself into the speeder, finding comfort in the seat with a wandering gaze as the sped to join the rest of Bastion's populace. Then, well, that question was begged. Suspicion was clearly visible across his features as he shifted his head from one side to the other, looking towards the Governor. A moment of hesitation. "No." He lied rather sternly before returning his gaze, but his suspicion and curiosity chewed away at him and Kole looked back. "Why do you ask?"

[member="Darth Maliphant"]