Dominion The Golden Hand | EE Dominion of Empty Hex

[TE-236]

Location: Vexillium
Objective: 2
Tags: Eldin Daine , Open

The man said his name, still seeming nervous, but for what reason Gin did not know. Perhaps he was just always nervous, or perhaps he was only nervous when gambling, or perhaps he was nervous around droids, or even perhaps the man had anxiety in being in large crowds. Gin ran the calculations for any of these possibilities, and found them all unlikely, as the man had not shown any of the symptoms for anxiety, anxiety in large crowds, an irrational fear of droids, a rational fear of droids, and the man had shown complete confidence when gambling. Interesting.

“Good to meet you Gin”, Eldin gave the droid a friendly nod. “I’d offer to buy you a drink but, well… you know. Droid and all”.

"Good to meet you too, Eldin Daine." Gin nodded back. "Yes, I am a droid, but for approximately 835 years, 6 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, 14 hours, 43 minutes, and 32 seconds, I had been trapped on the planet of Saleucami as a reprogrammed bartender droid in a small village. I became exceptionally good at making drinks, and I grew a vast knowledge of drinks and their ingredients. Soon, I was even inventing my own drinks. Hence the name, Gin." Gin explained to him. "But do not worry, I have regained my memory and some few parts of my original programming, along with major new improvements to my programming, and new and improved parts to my physical being." Gin told him.

The girl that had just lost the round sat quietly staring at him, there was a sense of hate pouring off her through the force.

Gin noticed the girl staring intently at the girl. "Who is your... friend? She seems to be very interested in you." Gin said, pointing her out.

Eldin then asked if Gin would be joining in on the match. "Yes, I will be. My advanced calculus and algebra computations, along with my probability algorithms, and my programming to study my opponents, compile that information, then run advanced mathematical equations to figure out a strategy and my next moved,, and to predict the moves of my opponents." Gin said. Eldin said that he could give Gin a marker if he needed it. "No thank you, Eldin Daine. I have my own." He told Eldin. Gin lay 13.5% of his chips on the table as the croupier asked for the bets.

 

[Kessia Miran]

Kessia Miran
Chameleon, Knight Warden of the Wardens of the Shroud, Agent of Blackwatch, sithspawn, L’lerim’s right hand​

Location: Vexillium, Neutral Space
Equipment: Attire | Looks (yes, this time she is a he)
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Ivixa Nera'kas | Open

The man's golden eyes flashed when Lori mentioned that she had “almost” been caught once. There was concern and fear on Kessia's face, in this case Curtis, making it clear how worried he was about the girl.

”What? How? When? Who? How did you escape?”

He asked harshly, in quick succession of all this. He followed her gaze to the crowd, then nodded. Apparently he wasn't enthusiastic that he wouldn't get answers to his questions now, but he trusted Lori's judgment that they would discuss it later. There were a lot of people here and indeed, it is possible that the wall also has ears. Kessia knew the Vex, so that finding was absolutely certain. Curtis finally nodded with great difficulty and tried not to behave very conspicuously.

”Then you want us to act like a normal couple now, my love?” he smirked.

It means anything, because Kessia didn't really have much idea about it. His grin soon disappeared and he took on a more serious figure again.

”Or are we looking for a quieter and less conspicuous place?”

​

 

[Domino]

Wearing: A sea-foam green evening dress fading into an aqua hem with a cutout back.
Tags: Ivixa Nera'kas

Domino was a bit late, but in her mind that just meant that there were more people around and she wasn't left waiting in a line to get in or dock on the party ship, or that she'd be left wandering mostly empty halls. This way she could wander the mostly full ship feeling awkward that she should know more people. Occasionally she caught glimpses of people she thought she kinda sort of recognized but she wasn't sure. Acting as a hermit for the last half decade had been ruinous for her previously barely-existent social life.

So instead of inserting herself into other's affairs, she found herself playing a few games roulette, just enough for some excitement. After a few frustrating spins, she found herself glimpsing just a few seconds ahead once the wheel was spun and the little silver ball was in play, and placing her bet just a little before the croupier called a halt to the betting. Even then she played the lower pay-outs, lost a few times, she didn't need the money or really want to cheat out their hosts. It was entertaining and a few strangers had noticed her luck and struck up table conversation. Still, she was done barely twenty minutes later, having won enough to cover the costs of the trip out and pay for some fun.

Wandering again, she entered one of the many gilded drinking establishments where she stopped short before a wide grin began to spread over her face. This could be fun. Exactly what she was looking for exactly. Gaining control over herself again, the Twi'lek strode up to the bar, taking position next to a tall well-muscled woman who reminded her of Kincaid thirty years younger, and opposite another blue alien wearing a dress she could only describe as garishly pink. "Corellian Sunset," she ordered, signaling the barkeep with a half-raised hand.

 

[Centiro]

Centiro strolled through the ballroom, certainly preoccupied. His prosthetic disguise was not elaborate, but enough to change his appearance with a subtlety that would not allow him to be placed. Centiro appeared much older, gray hair, an older countenance…but then again, very few individuals had ever seen his face, much less know who he was. Once a Knight Commander among the Wardens of the Shroud, there were a few who might recognize his true face, but he left their ranks long ago…at least according to the story. Regardless, his connection with the Force was quite suppressed and tucked away...he took no chances.

What they did not know was that he was now the Emissary of Unit 404. The unit worked directly for STRATCOM, but moreso directly for Darth Tacitus. The reason his mind was preoccupied was due to some irregular ship movements and credit transfers within the Eternal Empire Navy. Darth Tacitus had asked him to investigate this matter a few weeks ago. What boggled Centiro’s mind was the clean paper trail that he was running into. Even going down another layer—ship’s logs, refueling points, nav buoy pings…everything was clean. But it was when Centiro went yet another layer deeper and began pouring through crew communiques, he began to see a very different story…

He could not understand why some ship movements were being hidden. Nor did he understand the exorbitant expenses that a few of the battlegroups were accruing. When analyzing the data, none of it made sense. But this was why Centiro was here. A flag admiral, captain of a cruiser, by the name of Admiral Jimisa, had requested a private meeting with Darth Tactitus, citing it was urgent and he was in danger. But Darth Tactitus was off the grid…and Centiro was not sure where. This too was alarming. It was not an anomaly for Darth Tacitus to go off the grid. Centiro knew he did that from time to time when he felt he needed to investigate something alone—usually involving the Force. But it was something in the back of Centiro’s mind...something about all these events did not add up...

Regardless, the operative accessed the message for Tacitus. Centiro knew Tacitus was aware of his prying in his private communiques, but he also knew the Emperor allowed it—he knew why Centiro did it…an added layer of security. Centiro decided that he would meet the man in Tacitus’ stead.

He spotted the Admiral from a distance. Plucking a glass of wine off a tray belonging to a server, the operative made his way over. Glancing over to his right, he immediately spotted a face he recognized…from Lanteeb.

Loreena Arenais, public figurehead of the Eclipse Rebels.

Centiro knew he was one of the few who recognized her here, but it was still quite brazen of her to be in public as Loreena Arenais-Valhoun . He made a mental note to come back to that in short order. In truth, he wasn’t sure what he could do—she was protected here and to expose her was to expose his identity—and that wasn’t going to happen.

Worry about that later. Focus on the Admiral.

Walking up to the older admiral, Centiro immediately got a read on his countenance…fear. It was subtle, but his constant fidgeting of the wine glass in his hand, the darting eyes, the shifting feet—it was subtle, but Centiro was looking for it.

He thinks he is in danger, even here…I have to get him alone.

With a pleasant smile, the disguised Centiro walked up to him and inquired, “Admiral Jimisa?”

The naval officer’s eyes darted over to Centiro, quickly trying to assess who was talking to him. Scowling at Centiro, he replied in a flat tone, “Who are you?”

Lowering his voice a bit, he replied quietly and gestured to the nearest corridor, “You sent a message to a mutual acquaintance, which brings us both here. Shall we?”

A small amount relief flooded the man’s wrinkled face. With a small smile, he said, “Of course. Yes. Lead the way…”

The pair made their way through the crowded ballroom, in some areas it was shoulder to shoulder, but the pair exited the ballroom and went down a couple of corridors before Centiro turned to him. The man was nervously taking another sip of his wine. Centiro’s keen eyes caught a subtle “fizz” from his wine glass…he had just taken another sip.

“Stop!”

Centiro snatched the wine glass from his hand…but it was too late. Admiral Jimisa’s face registered surprise and shock as his skin began to visibly pale.

Poison. Someone dropped it in his wine on our way out...

Carefully, Centiro lowered the Admiral to the ground as the man’s face pallor paled quickly, blood began seeping from his nose, eyes and ears. The operative had seen this poison used before—he would be dead in the next few seconds. The Admiral tried to speak, but one of the first symptoms of this particular poison is to close up the throat.

Looking up in frustration, Centiro knew that his only lead died with the Admiral in front of him…

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Objective: 1

Lori snickered a little as Kessia Miran asked about how she had escaped. "You know me, Curtis....escape is one of my strongsuits. I always find a way." She grinned and winked at him, having a sip of her whiskey.

And again Lori snickered as he suggested that they act as a normal couple. She was anything but normal, yet Curtis loved her all the same. And he vowed to protect her always. "We can be as normal as we can be. Maybe even have a little dance later." Lori leaned forward as Curtis dropped his smile and suggested them moving somewhere more private. As she spoke, her voice was lowered; "We're just gathering a bit of intel here. I was going to try to look for you, but there's no need for that now. Instead we can find out just who's loyal to the Empire and who isn't." Funding had a lot to do with it and there was plenty of rich folk here that could afford to do just that.

Lori caught sight of Centiro looking at her among the crowd. What set him apart from the others was that he seemed to recognize her. Whether or not that was a good thing remained to be seen. She had no idea of who he was. Yet...

"We may slip away on our own soon. If more and more people recognize me in all this getup, well, I don't want to have to find out how quickly I can run in these heels."

 

[Kessia Miran]

Kessia Miran
Chameleon, Knight Warden of the Wardens of the Shroud, Agent of Blackwatch, sithspawn, L’lerim’s right hand​

Location: Vexillium, Neutral Space
Equipment: Attire | Looks (yes, this time she is a he)
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Open

”I know my love, but I hope you let my humble person worry about you.” he grinned again.

The worry on his face didn’t go away because he was still worried about the girl, but that wasn’t so surprising, since in principle she was a man in love at the moment. He grinned again as he received approval, then glanced at the crowd around them.

”The dance sounds great, although I don't know how normal or average the locals are…”

Mentioning the more private place, Lori leaned forward, the man almost hoping she wanted to kiss him again, but he had to be disappointed. For a moment, disapproval sat on his face, and in the end he tried to quickly give a short kiss to her lips. Only then did he want to let her speak.

”It could be dangerous, I saw Emperor’s Hand two or three rooms away… ” remarked annoyed or just worried. ”So surely there will be others in the upper circles as well. It would be nice to know who owns the company that owns this ship.”

He suggested this option if the girl already wanted to do it. He also caught Centiro when he looked around. As Kessia knew the man perfectly, she was a member of Unit 404. But like Curtis he couldn't know who it was. But he recognized that the other had known Lori. He was about to speak when she said the same thing he wanted.

”I totally agree with that, my love. It would not be a bad idea to disappear among the crowd.”

​

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Objective: 1

Lori gave Kessia Miran an amusing smile as he spoke of being allowed to worry about her. Curtis always did, although he tended to let her do what she felt that she needed to. However his worry only increased after she nearly died during her encounter with Kyrel Ren .

"The rich are never normal. They don't need to be." Lori was clear evidence of that. But she didn't show off her wealth to anyone. Instead she hardly touched it, allowing her brother Caedyn Arenais to look after the family fortune. He was the most responsible of the two siblings, afterall.

Curtis snuck in a kiss and she was happy to oblige, though it did cause her to blush as so many people were around them, oblivious as they were. His and Lori's love was an innocent one. They didn't have time for anything else just yet. But one day...

"The Emperor's Hand is here? Are you certain?" That was all that she needed, was to be caught by Ingrid L'lerim , or the Empire in general. "I'm sure that a deeper search on the holonet will tell us who owns this vessel..." That was something that she should have done earlier. But Lori had been distracted by the cause.

She took hold of Curtis' hand and got to her feet, leading him away from their table. "Come. Let's go. There's bound to be a quieter room off the main deck." Lori needed time to think and it was easier to do so when there was less noise and distractions about.

 

[Eldin Daine]

Location: Vexillium
Objective: 2
Tags: TE-236


Eldin’s eyes grew wider with each passing word Gin spoke. Man, he was a chatty one and Eldin was sorry he asked. Several times Eldin raised his hand to stop Gin from speaking but as his explanation continued on about how he would beat his opponents, his opponents grew more sceptical about sticking around to play cards with the droid. “Err…”, he flashed a look at the girl still glaring at him, gave her a half assed smiled as he rested his hand against the handle of his pistol under his jacket.

“Does she look like she wants to be friends with me?”, he whispered, “And ya could do with some lessons in keepin’ quiet around a table”. A couple of his potential opponent got up and walked away from the table not wanting to lose credits to a droid.

“Don’t give away ya strategy .. ya got a poker face?”, Eldin looked at the droid, of course he did, there was no way for expressions to form of it. “Don’t answer that”. But speaking too much was worse and hopefully Gin would take his advice.

The empty chairs left by the others, were soon filled by potential bunnies and if Gin kept his mouth shut, Eldin did not doubt he could take them to the cleaners. He got up and stood behind Gin, and prepared to watch the game unfold with a fresh whiskey in his hand.

 

[TE-236]

Location: Vexillium
Objective: 2
Tags: Eldin Daine

“Does she look like she wants to be friends with me?”

Gin shook his head. "No, it was a figure of speech. It is meant to symbolize how much she is paying attention to you. Sorry, should I have put air quotes around my statement to make it more obvious, like most organics do?" He asked. "Well, your 'friend'," Gin raised his metal arms and did air quotation marks around the word friend. "Seems to be very aggressive to her, and you are cautious of her, as you have just put your hand on your weapon." Gin said, this time quieter, as he pointed out Eldin's pistol. "If I were you, I would put it away. Weapons at the table upset the others."

“And ya could do with some lessons in keepin’ quiet around a table”

Gin tilted his head to the right slightly. "I am a tactical droid. I was not built for keeping quiet. There are lessons for keeping quiet? Do organics usually take these? I would guess that what you call children take these lessons, I find children loud, obnoxious, and distracting, and I can understand why organic parental units of organic children would want them to take quiet lessons. Do you know where I can take one of these lessons?" Gin asked.

“Don’t give away ya strategy .. ya got a poker face?”

Gin looked at him. The only face he had was a poker face. An indifferent face built to show no emotion. Gin was about to answer when-

“Don’t answer that”

"Noted, I will, as you said 'Keep quiet'." Gin said.

The others sat down at the table. "What game are we even playing, Eldin Daine?" Gin asked him.

 

[Ben Craig]

Ben Craig
Director of The Military Department of Advanced Weapons Research; Vice-Secretary of State; CEO of N&Z Umbrella Corporation​

Location: Vexillium, Neutral Space
Dress: Link
Focus: Credius , Ingrid L'lerim , Open

​

Fancy didn't do the ship enough justice. It wasn't simply fancy or expensive...it was exquisite. The craftsmanship of the luxury ship was remarkable and a true marvel. Ben simply had to get his hands on one. Smiling and nodding to several aristocratic figures he was amazed at the amount of rich and powerful members of the bureaucracy. There were Eternal Empire politicians, local planetary leaders, corporate brass and even foreign diplomats.

Ben walked towards the main ballroom. He was aware the Chancellor of the Left was present, and so he naturally set out to locate him. After a seemingly long trek through the long crowds, he finally located the notorious chancellor sitting at a table with a stunning red headed woman. Upon further examination, Ben noticed the woman was the Eternal Empire's Emperor's right hand. She was a mysterious figure. Her file maintained by the Union's Intelligence & Security Bureau was considerably short. Not much was known about her. Perhaps the director could change that.

The Chancellor and Emperor's hand were conversing. Ben did the least logical move and went to interrupt their conversation, if only briefly to introduce himself to the woman. He bowed, "Lady L'lerim, a pleasure to meet you. I am Director Ben Craig representing the Zweihander Union. I don't mean to interrupt your conversation." A complete lie. He maintained eye contact with the nice lady and avoided the Chancellor if only for now. He didn't know if the Chancellor would glare at him or use his sick sorcerer black magic to choke him. He took a chair next to Ingrid a bit awkwardly. If interrupting the conversation wasn't already a rude gesture, he had taken it a step further and invited himself to sit at the table. He hope she didn't find it offensive. To others it would've looked like a metaphorical middle-finger. Hopefully they would show some class that Ben had chosen to not show for the better good.

​

​

 

[Kessia Miran]

Kessia Miran
Chameleon, Knight Warden of the Wardens of the Shroud, Agent of Blackwatch, sithspawn, L’lerim’s right hand​

Location: Vexillium, Neutral Space
Equipment: Attire | Looks (yes, this time she is a he)
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Open

The man grinned at the remark that the rich didn't even have to be normal. She had no idea how much Curtis knew about the financial background of the Arenais house or not. As Kessia, she knew quite a lot because @Ingrid L’lerim gave the files about it to her. So she… he left all this without a word. Just grinned for a moment.

Because of the kiss as Lori blushed, the man smiled softly and kindly. And after that, the less pleasant topic was what they were talking about. At least it wasn’t pleasant for Curtis and Lori. Kessia wasn't bothered by the case, as the red witch was her boss and she was the woman's bodyguard. However, Curtis nodded seriously about the concerns.

”It’s hard enough to miss a person with such a tall, thin and flaming red hair.” he growled a little. ”I'm sorry, I'm just tense. But yes, I'm absolutely sure he is. She is a pretty striking phenomenon.”

Kessia knew this exactly, also from experience, any time she had to replace Ingrid. The other woman’s “glare” was such that it attracted gazes and people when she wanted it to be so. If not, then her look has solved this as well. And Kessia couldn't wait to find out who this ship was and how Lori would react if she learned the truth.

Curtis, of course, let Lori take his hand and also get him out of here. The whole ship was quite crowded, but there were still plenty of suites and rooms that weren’t booked, if only because on the way Kessia had taken a telepathic action to get a room anyway. So they were given a smaller double room on the lower deck where there was silence and no one bothered them.

”Then let's start researching, my love?”

​

 

[Karisa]

Objective: 3 - BYOO (Chat with Sissy, then go from there)
Tag: Sentiri
Attire: Dress, Hair

​

"Your approval means a lot to me, Tir. It always has," Karisa smiled warmly at Sentiri as they began to walk further into the biodome after their initial greetings at the entrance. "And yes, I have a barony now, and named myself High Regent of House Sabosen since my exile from the Chiss Ascendancy," she nodded but didn't care to elaborate just yet on either development.

The older Sabosen shared with the younger a bit about what she'd been up to, but knowing the intel agent in the woman there was much more to explore when prying ears and watchful eyes were not present.

"I've never known you to not be busy or to stay in one place too long. The latter is where we differ, dear sister," Karisa quipped lightly, then took a glass of champagne offered from a passing waiter with a tray. She took a sip of the bubbly pale yellow liquid and relished in the dryness of it for a moment before swallowing.

"Not bad," the Chiss noble commented on the selection of drink, then her crimson eyes peered around at those in attendance before they flicked back to the other blue-skinned woman beside her with the same glowing red orbs.

"Well, I do not like change, but change seems to like me so I have learned to embrace it." Another sip of the champagne was taken enjoyed or more so used as a pause to collect her thoughts.

"After that fateful day on Sposia, I can only attribute my well-being to one and possibly my newfound position... I am sure you have heard of the shipping mogul Malicar , maybe even come across the tall, dark, and handsome in your travels. The charismatic Chiss is hard to miss," she smirked subtly. "He saved me that day, and after a roundabout way introduced me to the Eternal Empire where he does business. His Majesty, the Eternal Emperor, bestowed upon me the Barony of Verkuyl hence the title. It is a bacta rich world and was in need of someone with my background and experience to oversee it. You should come for a visit, Tir. Dalos City, the capital, which I now call home, is much like Ch'avz in that it is a seaside city, and the Verkuylians are very favorable people to live among. Well at least I have found so, course I am their noble keeper so maybe they are just being nice."

A small grin played on her dark lips before taking yet another sip of the bubbly drink.

​

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori held tightly onto Kessia Miran 's hand as they walked the halls, doing her best to keep her pace even and slow so as not to betray her anxiety. Her eyes darted past every opened door that they passed, searching for any sign of Ingrid L'lerim 's red hair. But they were lucky.

Making their way to an empty suite, she released her breath that she didn't even realize that she was holding and slipped off her shoes. "There's gotta be a datapad around here somewhere..." Lori started looking through the desk drawers until she finally found one. Taking it in hand, she turned it on as she moved over to the bed and sat down on it, inviting Curtis to join her. Of course the datapad was registered to the vessel, so it was bound to be unsecure. Yet their search shouldn't be suspicious anyways.

Lori wasn't a slicer, but she knew how to dig a little. Her fingers flew through the various data as she searched through the history of the vessel, who funded it, who built it and what causes it supported.

"Oh frig..." Her blood seemed to run cold as she showed Curtis the datapad. "It's hers. It's theirs. We're on the Empire's ship...We'll need to get off before they trap us here." Whether that meant stealing a transport or not, it didn't matter. With Curtis' help, she knew she'd have a better chance.

 

[Credius]

​

Location: Vexillium, space
Attire: [X] [X] [X] [X]
Tag: Ingrid L'lerim | Ben Craig

​

"War is indeed a viable option for business, no matter the name of the game, conflict will indeed always exist, but even a company that deals in luxury goods, is in essence a company that deals in war, if only in a different way and catering to a different kind of war," Silently chuckling, the man peered calmly into his glass, silver pools reflecting but an empty void staring straight into the amber liquid. For a moment, his mind seemed occupied with something, as suddenly his gaze was drawn back to the woman, slightly tilting his head to the side. Strands of blond glistening hair escaped the grasp of his well maintained coupe and were beckoned by the laws of gravity to shift slightly to the side as well. "I wouldn't say I'd fit a company with a penchant of being decadent, I've lived that life, it gets...boring quite quickly when you realize just how small one's view can be when bound by rules dictated by nobility."

Again he chuckled, taking a sip from his glass of liquor and setting it down on the table again, his index finger slowly caressing the edge of the crystal glass, lightly humming as if he was thinking about something yet again. It was true that he had lived the life of true nobility, had been born into it, but when his 'gift' had revealed itself, when his master reached out to him and taught him everything she knew, he finally realized his place, his goals and desires and those...well, those went beyond the mere idea of building wealth or empires. "The Union stands...for now," He looked up when a familiar presence announced himself, completely ignoring decorum and taking a seat almost as presumptuous as the Chancellor himself had been earlier on, but Credius did not intrude on a conversation, he did not instantly think to draw attention and simply wished to have a talk with the woman he knew was most likely to take on the mantle of the Eternal Empire if anything would happen to its top dog. Playing his cards right was the name of the game and Director Ben Craig was almost like a greenhorn from tatooine trying his luck at his first Sabbac game.

"My apologies for my...faithful servant's lack of tact, milady," Within his pockets, the dolos necklase was having a hard time containing the seething rage that was swelling within the Chancellor, yet luckily it managed to contain the metaphysical and only let through the emotional. "As you said, Director. You don't mean to interrupt this conversation..."

Credius' gaze turned to the Vice secretary, his hand reaching for the man's shoulder and stiffening its grip upon it, showing that if the amulet masked his force signature and surpressed it, he still retained the body of his prime and was no slouch in the physical department. "Perhaps rather than being so blunt in the presence of your superiors, you should at the very least show Lady L'lerim the proper respect as her position is due, it would be such a waste to sour political relationships based on a normally well-spoken man's drunken stupor, would it not?"

 

[Eldin Daine]

Location: Vexillium
Objective: 2
Tags: TE-236



“Where I’m from Gin, weapons are a necessity”. He down the rest of his whiskey, it was only seconds and the next drink rested cold in his hand. They were sure quick around here with the booze, he wasn’t about to complain though. Eldin raised a finger to tell the dealer to play Gin in the next round.

The cards flew across the table with speed through a well-practiced hand. “Sabacc, Empress Teta Preferred”. Still feeling uneasy Eldin kept his eyes on the crowd, nothing through the force told him anyone was wishing him ill apart from the glaring girl. So, his attention returned to her while the hand played out. He noticed, as the girl picked up her cards, the corner of her ample red lips twitched upward.

He could feel the pull on the force as she tugged at the minds of the other players, their faces told the story of her influence, brows beading with sweat or eyes darting over their cards in their hands, looking for a solution or probability. But her eyes where firmly fixed on Gin. For which Eldin was grateful.

This was going to be interesting. Gin had nothing to lose, nothing to gain other than interest in the proceedings, the girl on the other hand .. she had an agenda. And what that was Eldin could only speculate. He had a feeling by the end of the night, they would find out.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Ingrid L’lerim
The Red Witch; Emperor's hand; Director of Blackwatch; Baroness of Vengard, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Vexillium, Neutral Space
Equipment: Attire (without the head things) | make-up
Tag: Credius | Ben Craig | Open

”True, I can’t argue with that, but in that respect, every company is at war, with competition for the graces of customers. In my own example, I took into account that in most places there is a good chance that the money of the nobility will also be lost in a war. Without it, they may not be able to finance the extra increased expenditures.” she explained her own line of thought.

She didn’t mind if she saw the world differently than the man or anyone else. The Galaxy would have been a very boring place if everyone was like everyone else. Anyway, she loved to fight intellectual “battles” with others. If only because she has very rarely had the opportunity to have a conversation with sufficiently intelligent people who are on the same level with her. Unfortunately, she found most people stupid enough. Her eyes flashed for a moment at the man's reaction, then she pulled her lips to a predatory smile.

”Oh, I did not say a word, my dear Lord, that you must be just like the empty-headed and foolish nobles. I don't think for a moment that you are like that. No, you are a much more dangerous person…”

As she spoke, each word became quieter, and the last words were almost whispered toward the man. While the man showed quite a few gestures, as his fingers moved, the woman sitting opposite him was almost completely motionless, like a marble statue or painting. She was like that, stiff and distant, and of course she knew decency, too. This did not mean that the man did not, but it was already apparent at the treaty for Ingrid, that the man was not as rigid as she was. While listening to the other, she reached for her cocktail in an elegant motion and took a sip.

She was about to nod that everything was fine with the Union when she felt and saw someone approaching them. At first she felt only the intention, but that was enough to make her whole body stiffen perfectly again, barely noticeable. Until now, she had enjoyed the company of Lord Nargath and talked to him when the gray-haired man appeared at their table. Because Ingrid was aware of the identity of the leaders of the larger factions, she recognized the man. It was Ben Craig, the other leader of ZU.

”Director Craig, welcome, I'm happy to meet you too.”

She said politely, but before she could react to anything else, the man simply sat down not so far from her. Luckily, the red-hair woman had enough control over her emotions and actions so she didn’t raise an eyebrow at the acting. The situation was eloquent in that the man was not explicitly familiar with diplomacy and etiquette. It had been a dance between Credius and Ingrid so far, which the man had intruded on.

”You do not owe an apology, Lord Nargath!”

She said, then pretended to pay attention to her cocktail, but in the meantime, as a good agent and spy, watched the interlude between the two men. Which was very talkative and telling to the woman. Perhaps it had told her much more about the relationship between the two men and the power struggles than they would have liked. She cleared her throat a little to get the two men's attention. After all, she was the host.

”Gentlemen, please! Today we are here to have fun, whatever way we do it…”

​

 

[Kessia Miran]

Kessia Miran
Chameleon, Knight Warden of the Wardens of the Shroud, Agent of Blackwatch, sithspawn, L’lerim’s right hand​

Location: Vexillium, Neutral Space
Equipment: Attire | Looks (yes, this time she is a he)
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Open

Curtis tried to squeeze her hand encouragingly, but not hard. He didn’t even have to be a Force User to see and feel how tense Lori was. First Centrio, then L’lerim. Once they arrived in the room, he acted like he was looking around to see what was here, as if looking for an eavesdropping device or something like that. Lori also found a data pad, then followed the girl to the bed and sat down next to him.

He hadn't said anything yet, just watching what the girl was doing and what she was getting. In fact, it was not such a complicated task because Vexillium was a subsidiary of the HPI Consortium, which was notoriously (in Imperial circles and probably also in the rebels) owned by House L’lerim.

”Let's dig a little deeper, my love!” he asked. ”Once we're here.”

If Lori didn't object, she took over the data bench. He didn’t do an overly complicated search either, mostly searching for HPI and subsidiaries using the HoloNet. Based on the data here, the Consortium was not only present in the Eternal Empire, but they also had interests in many places beyond that. They owned several companies that revealed that they were involved in almost everything in the Empire.* Curtis's face showed surprise and trouble.

”When and how did House L’lerim acquire such influence, power, and material possessions? As I look, they also try to remain independent, which is an even greater concern that they are not dependent on the Empire in everything…”


* Some of them are still being written, I have everything in my head, I should just write them down.

​

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori didn't stop Kessia Miran from taking the databench. The two of them more than likely brought up some of the same files, both of them coming to the same conclusions.

"Independence is the way to go, Curtis. Don't put all of your eggs in one basket. Empires don't last, so she's being smart to ensure that her house still stands after the Eternal Empire falls. It's sort of the strategy my parents used back in the day. It's how they acquired their fortune." But such a fortune was now in the hands of her twin brother. Lori didn't need to touch it with her line of work. But it was always there if she needed it, which was a small comfort of it's own.

Lori looked to the door for a moment, as if she was waiting for it to be broken down and security pouring in. But so far there was nothing. "I wonder if they know we're here...?"

 

[Kessia Miran]

Kessia Miran
Chameleon, Knight Warden of the Wardens of the Shroud, Agent of Blackwatch, sithspawn, L’lerim’s right hand​

Location: Vexillium, Neutral Space
Equipment: Attire | Looks (yes, this time she is a he)
Tag: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun | Open

Curtis nodded as Lori began to speak. Kessia knew this, of course, as well as the fact that the companies had existed for centuries before the Eternal Empire, but they just hadn’t received that much publicity. Now they were a great show of power against the Rebels as well. But the girl's words also revealed that Curtis didn't know much about these. Then he stays with the “foolish” appearance.

”I see, so it's clear. Although I see that she has not yet used her own assets against us, and the Rebels. So she didn't consider us a personal threat, maybe… it's so good so far, isn't it, my Love? Besides the Empire, we shouldn't even have HPI or the L’lerims panting around our necks… The Empire is more than enough if you ask me..”

As Lori looked toward the door, he did the same. His body tensed a little at the question. Eventually, however, he shook his head.

”I don't think they care. When I went to you I saw many other upper circle crime lords and underworld persons who are criminals and have a blood fee on their heads. However, I did not see any security people wearing the Empire sign, nor the droids of the House L’lerim. I think, my love, they don’t hunt rebels, it would hurt their business if they caught anyone here. I don't feel any disturbance in the Force either, so I think we're safe…”

In the end, he also sent an encouraging grin toward her.

​

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"So far so good? Hardly. She's the Emperor's Right Hand. If the Rebels weren't a threat then we'd be left alone. There wouldn't be a broadcast put out by her for information on us and our capture. She's just using the Empire's assets first instead of her own." Which was smart, of course. Why spend her credits when she could spend someone elses?

Lori set the databad down and got to her feet. She approached behind Kessia Miran and leaned down, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she leaned her head against his to get a view of what he was looking at. "I hope you're right. I was visited by an agent of the Empire already. She's a changling. I don't know what she really looks like, but she can appear as me. She even matches my voice! So we've got to be careful. You've gotta be careful. I was worried that she might of gotten to you, because i hadn't seen you for a while. But thankfully...you've found me. So I don't need to worry." Curtis always kept her safe. She had hired him as a bodyguard more or less for her missions and treasure hunting. Not to mention he had great cooking skills too. Their falling for eachother was just by accident. And not an unhappy one either.