Private The head behind the snake

[Diarch Rellik]

The soft glow of the holo-projector flickered to life in Relliks quarters aboard the DSD-Vault. He did not ask Maldor, nor Vyllia, nor Tertius for this connection. Instead, turning to the Network to find the line needed for him. They delivered her information quietly, precisely. With him preferring to reach out on his own terms.

"Lady Ra'a'mah Numare,"

He had no intention of trying to intimidate or dominate Ra. It appeared she had a storied history if the reports were to be believed.

"Several among my banner have recently been in dealings with you. They are intelligent and your works together are for you all to determine on your own, so that is not my concern. I am reaching out tonight to request your presence at my home. There, over food and drink, I hope to move beyond the formalities and the contracts that bind us. I wish to understand the woman behind these dealings."

With his words he offered a warm smile.

"My home is within the Crucible above the city of Ravelin, upon Bastion... I understand the weight that one's past can carry shadows cast long and deep, and histories better left unspoken. Know this: within the walls of the crucible, there will be no judgment. Whatever truths you bring will be met with honesty, never condemnation. You will be safe. I ask only that you be truthful with me, as I intend to be with you. No matter what has shaped you, or what choices you have made, that will not change my respect for your strength or your right to seek new avenues for life. I wish only to know who my underlings are getting into dealings with. If you would kindly ease my mind. I would be generous in return."

He paused briefly, letting the weight of his words settle in the quiet of the room.

"There is no pretense in this invitation, Lady Ra'a'mah. No veiled agendas or tests. Only a genuine desire to know the woman behind the name"

Ra'a'mah

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Sitting in her office on Naboo, her holocom alerted her to an incoming call. Answering it, she looked at the man speaking to her. Her hair was not pulled up and hung down her back. The red hue reflected the light of her lamp as she leaned back in her chair. Across the stars, his message and invitation came as a surprise. She allowed him to speak his mind, and she nodded.

With a slight smile and a bit of a sigh, she broke her silence.

"As the leader of the Diarchy, that is within your right, and I applaud you for reaching out. I'll accept your invitation. Should I leave my weapons at the door?"

Adjusting her position slightly, she leaned against the other shoulder and crossed her legs. Even if he couldn't see that, the change in her posture would be noticeable.

"I think you know more about me than I know about you. I'd like that to change as well. When is it convenient?"

She had recently hired several pilots to manage her fleet. They were in good hands, and she could visit any time. He didn't need to know that, and she would have him set the dates. Going back to Bastion will certainly be a walk down memory lane. One she wasn't looking forward to remembering. Her time with the Sith had been something forced, but that part of her life was dead. Ra planned on keeping it there.

Diarch Rellik

 

[Diarch Rellik]

She spoke with poise and care, a quiet intelligence behind every syllable. As she shifted in her seat, his eyes noted the change and enjoyed the silent language of movement. The value of posture, space, and presence.

He offered a slight nod.

"Two days from now if that works for you. Hopefully that would be enough time to put anything in your schedule into place and make it so you are not rushed. Furthermore, I will ensure your arrival is smooth and without burden. Upon reaching Bastion, you will be met by my litigation droid Onyx who will see to your lodging, food, and any comforts you may require. The suite provided is yours for as long as you choose to remain."

He hoped to provide a wonderful and new experience to the re-organized world of Bastion. Although still a might fortress, the quality of everyday life due to trade, imports/exports, and the rule of Diarchy law had made it more of a bustling little utopia. Purposefully done to show all who visit the prosperity they are trying to achieve across all worlds.

"And your weapons, are welcome. This is not a trap. I've no desire to cage or harm you. Bring what puts you at ease. My doors open for conversation, not conflict."

A short pause. His tone, while still composed, carried a more jovial demeanor rather than a sovereign one. He gave a soft smile and a bow.

"I am more than happy to tell you about myself. Perhaps we may find some great common ground for future endeavors. I will be waiting for you at the Crucible, Lady Ra'a'mah. And I look forward to meeting you. Thank you for the honor."

Ra'a'mah

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Giving him a neutral nod when he set the date in two days, she would be there. It would give her time to research him and his government thoroughly. The business she had done not too long ago should have been a sign for her to have already done this. She hadn't, and that was her fault.

Lifting her chin when he told her weapons would be allowed, she started taking him less seriously as a threat. However, she did not underestimate him. Nothing close to a friend, though. Ally was a possibility, and time would tell on that. Keeping her face passive and neutral, she did quirk the corners of her mouth up slightly.

"I will see you in two days, Diarch."

When the call ended, she remained seated and sent out a few messages to her people. Those she had used in the past for information and knew she could count on now. Her glowing eyes waited for replies and the information she asked for. In the meantime, she sent other messages to her friends. Just in case he was deceiving her and she didn't contact them.

Once she had taken care of this business, she turned off the lights in her office as she walked out and started planning her stay. He had invited her to stay as long as she wanted. That being an unknown number to her, she decided to pack for a week. Sometimes these diplomatic and business discussions took more than a day.

One thing she would trust him on was that he probably wasn't going to try to kill her. At least, not right away. Ra trusted few, but she didn't feel that was the intention. Now, she waited to hear back from her people and looked through her wardrobe for clothes to pack.

Deciding on what to wear, the day she arrived, she wore a dark blue suit with long pants, an off-white shirt, and a matching blue jacket. Meeting the droid, she could tell it wasn't anything emotional and wouldn't want to be freed.

After having watched some recordings and read up on Rellik and the Diarchy, she was thankful she didn't consider herself Jedi or Sith anymore. The open invitation helped as well. Dropping her bag off in the suite, she was guided to the Crucible and the waiting leader.

Diarch Rellik

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik stood within his personal chamber of the crucibles tower near the high council chambers. Onyx gave him the signal, he and Ra were on their way. With that in mind he began to descend to the main entrance. The Crucible - a rather large academy center for the Diarchy's brotherhood had many places where he could take her for this meeting. The High council chambers, the library. Perhaps a slight tour just to get her acclimated. Although he did not want her to feel uncomfortable with the students and staff all walking around. Despite newcomers being a rather common event.

Either way, he would come down and meet her at the door. A slight tour might make her feel more accustomed. So as he descended he past students, gave his hello's and asked how their studies were going. Overall it seemed to be a good day to show off the school.

And it was there he saw the two of them. His droid Onyx and Ra, he approached calmly with a large smile on his face. Coming up with his hand extended for a handshake he tried to appear as welcoming as possible.

"Lady Ra'a'mah Numare, it is a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to the crucible. This is our academy of sorts. If you would be so inclined, let us walk the halls for a moment and I can show you some of what makes the Diarchy so unique."

Ra'a'mah

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Turning when she felt his eyes on her, she looked at his extended hand for a moment like it was a viper waiting to strike. Then she accepted it as it was offered and decided this man might not be an enemy. Certainly not a friend but a potential ally.

Returning the firm shake, she didn't squeeze too hard but kept it at a professional level. She wasn't here to make enemies, and it was clear he wasn't either. Ra wasn't an open book, though, and kept her face neutral. Her emotions were tightly held and consistently under control. Somehow, she didn't think she really needed to go through these precautions, but she did anyway. Old habits were hard to break, and this man had dug in far enough into her past to bring up old wounds and scars. She wasn't about to underestimate him.

"You honor me, Diarch Rellik."

This building was new to her, but it had been many years since she last walked Bastion. Back then, it had been forced, and she thought that when she had severed her ties with the Sith, she had wiped all trace of her connection. She was obviously wrong, and he had found some crumbs. The business connections she had made recently had drawn his attention, and from that led to this.

Letting go of his hand, she stepped back and placed her hands behind her back with her shoulders squared.

"Please."

Diarch Rellik

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik nodded once, acknowledging both her words and the guarded posture behind them. He didn't fault her for it. Truthfully, he respected it.

"Then walk with me," he said simply, letting the door open wide behind him.

The hall they entered was tall and clean, with floor inlaid with geometric black-and-gold designs. few students passed by, offering nods of greeting. "From this main hall here there are many paths outward. Philosophical studies. Ethics, history, theory to your left here which leads to the Library. - You are more than welcome to come to the library at your leisure if you wish to see if there are things in our archives that might not be other places. To your right we have our training wing. We are relatively low on masters but the students tend to do a good job of seeking out information when they feel something is lacking. At which point we update our curriculum."

He started feeding her further through the building. Leading her to the tower of the crucible that held the personal quarters and where they could have some food and drink in a more private setting. They passed an archway of stone and alloy, where the floors subtly shifted in hue, fading into pale silver. Just ahead, a circular study room opened to view through a wide transparisteel panel.

Inside, a half-dozen young teens sat in a loose circle. A Togruta boy spoke with quick, impassioned gestures, arguing the merits of controlled aggression in lightsaber combat. Across from him, a Mirialan girl offered a calm counterpoint, speaking to how peace could be weaponized when understood as leverage. Between them, a datapad hovered, rotating slowly and displaying an excerpt from a Niman training holocron.

"They've been encouraged to debate doctrine freely," Rellik explained in a low tone beside her. "We teach them that the Force isn't two roads, but one vast terrain. Some will favor discipline. Others, passion. As long as they understand what they wield and that above all they are to care for each other. This particular debate stems from the two students wanting to protect each other. A debate here with words is better than one on the battlefield with blades." He would give a quick head nod to Preserver of the brotherhood standing watch.

He didn't linger on the scene long. Instead, he turned down another hall, this one narrower and quieter, the ceilings lower as they ascended a set of stairs. At the next landing, a sealed door waited. Guarded by two Diarchy preservers, they bowed and opened it without a word. Inside was a private sitting chamber, clean stone, warm light, and a modest table already set with a carafe of water, some dark tea, and two plates of fruits and spiced bread.

"Please," Rellik said, motioning her to sit.

Ra'a'mah

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Taking a step in his direction when he told her to walk with him, she relaxed slightly and allowed her arms to hang down at her sides. She wasn't walking stiffly but was clearly not entirely at ease. Even if this structure was new, these grounds were ancient. She had once walked them under the guise of the Sith. Here, she had learned how to be an assassin, and they had put her skills to use more than once.

Stretching out with the Force, she would try to get a reading on the emotions floating around them. Ra might be business-oriented and poor with reading people, but she did try. For a former Sith, she was still quite distant from expressing her emotions. Part of what made her such a unique person and why she thought she might make a good ally of the Diarchs. Time would tell, but they were off to a good start.

"I might take you up on that offer. Knowledge is something I have always craved."

Allowing her head to turn in that direction, her gaze lingered down that path for a moment before returning to face forward.

"Such is the case with many learning institutions. There might be far more students than there are tutors."

Walking next to him, there was no backing down; she wasn't going to act like a lesser person. Just because he was a leader here, that did not make her any less than he was. Glancing between the two students who were debating, she also included the others in that look.

Some were taking notes while others were just paying attention. It reminded her a bit of her time with the Dominion. A government that had tried to make Jedi and Sith work alongside each other. That went over about as well as expected, and then they drew the ire of different governments. Their death had been slow and agonizing, but she had given her word that she would stay until the end.

Until that final day on Eol Sha. The last day of the Dominion. She, along with Adron and Anya, were captured by the then Galactic Empire. Others on other worlds had fallen at the same time. An end to the first government and the people she had worked for. They had supported her business endeavors and lent a hand...in a way...to her walking here today with Rellik.

"Are they allowed to get the field practice in?"

He had mentioned the training grounds, but with a lack of teachers, she didn't know what they were allowed to do on their own. She also left off the additional comment, "before going into actual battle."

Moving with him as they left the young ones behind, she had to step behind him to go up the stairs. Taking the offered seat, she pulled it forward to be close to the table.

"Thank you for the tour, Diarch."

Diarch Rellik

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik poured a measure of spiced caf into a simple glass, sliding it across to her before filling his own. He acknowledged her words with a faint nod.
"Knowledge is a wonderful appetite. Those who hunger for it tend to go further than those who only train their bodies. You'll find no shortage of things to read and to challenge you here."

He rested one arm against the table, expression steady, remembering that she noted the strain of tutors versus students. "You're right. We're still rebuilding. But the lack of masters forces students to sharpen each other. Those who teach their peers end up reinforcing their own foundations. I am quite proud of them all."

At her question about field practice, his gaze held hers evenly. "They are. But in stages. Escorts, settlements, relief missions. Nothing reckless. Enough to temper their lessons in reality before they ever face a battlefield."

A small pause lingered as he let that settle. His voice lowered a fraction. "By the time they stand in real combat, they already understand what it means to move together or not at all."

His fingers tapped lightly against the rim of his cup, a faint rhythm to ground the thought before he spoke again. "My father believed differently. From the moment I could walk, I was taught to fight... among other things. That is something we try to steer away from in our teachings. Was it the same for you? Or were you given time to grow before the storm reached you?"

Ra'a'mah

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Taking the glass as he pushed it across the table to her, she picked it up to raise it to her mouth. Sniffing at the aromatic spices, she trusted him enough not to try to poison her, unlike when she had first invited her now husband to visit her at her home. He hadn't trusted Ra not to try something. It had taken time to gain that trust, and they had been happily married for over a decade now.

Listening to what the Diarch was saying, she appreciated his observation. Given the time and chance, she would likely stay and study. Until her job might call her away, and she would need to travel once again. Turning the cup in her hands, she took a sip and set it down on the table. Leaning forward, she nodded at his rebuilding comment.

"How is the recovery going from when it was in the hands of the Sith?"

Those days had been anything but easy, and Ra understood this probably better than anybody currently on Bastion. Each of them had their own histories, and she didn't know his, but he knew more about her than she liked.

"The way you talk, you make it seem like they go willingly to the slaughtering yards. Do you actually give them the choice?"

Maybe she was being too hard on him; the tone of her voice was colder than it could have been. Perhaps she was allowing who she had been on this world to come across and through her now. She didn't like who she had been, but it helped make her into who she is now. He didn't deserve to be treated like she was, but he had dragged up her history and hadn't even mentioned it yet.

He shared a little information about himself and asked the same of her. Joining him in tapping her glass, she tapped it on the side, not the rim.

"I have two stories about my past. The life I thought I had and the life I actually had. If we had met 30 years ago, I would have told you I was an orphan and grew up on Coruscant.

"My childhood was far different. I grew up basically as a Baneite Sith. My master kidnapped me from my parents, and then, when I was a teenager, sent me to murder them. I had no idea it was them, and their blood is on my hands."

Opening them and laying them on the table, her palms were faced upward, and she knocked her knuckles on the wood under them. Closing them, she reached for her drink and took a sip before continuing.

"When I was almost 18, we upset some people in power. He did his best to erase my memories of him and our training together. I escaped that planet and he was left behind to be tried for treason and likely put to death."

Shrugging her shoulders, he might be able to sense she didn't miss or even seem to care about this old master. Nor did she seem to feel too much regret for murdering her parents. The Sith she kept buried and hidden was still there, but she didn't touch that aspect of herself much. Right now, it was giving her the strength to get through this conversation.

Diarch Rellik

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik listened in silence as she laid her past bare. Not a flicker of judgment crossed his face; only focus, and the kind of patience that came from hearing many similar stories from those who have come to Diarchy space. When she fully finished, he replied calmly. "The scars of Bastion are not easily erased. The Sith, along with the Imperials - all still yearn for this rock. Even recently there have been attacks. All of which have been repelled."

A shimmer of light and pride glimmered over the Diarchs eyes as he continued. "As is its name sake the planet Bastion has some incredible defenses. In no small part to the Lilaste order. Yet, overall beyond its traditional sites like the Palleon Gardens; we have made a concerned effort to change this world into a capital of our sector. We have built ports for trade, centers for banking/finance, and most often on the ground floor of such places are merchants, farmers, and other good people making their living in a more natural way than we believe this world has ever seen. We have turned Bastion into not only a beacon of strength as it has always been but a place people would actually want to live and raise their families."

He paused, letting a note of steel intertwine his calm.

"Every student who trains here chooses to. Some leave. Some return later. Others never come back at all. That is their right. The Diarchy does not break people into tools we give them the space to decide who they wish to become. If they bleed for us one day, it is because they chose to stand, not because they were herded into a pen."

His eyes softened as he spoke again, quieter now. "I am happy you have seemed to find yourself. That phase of life for myself was rather confusing. Looking to my lost father for guidance while realizing I can only rely on those still with me. This idea also ties into our students. We all live and I believe each person decides their own destiny." He finished with a warm smile. Leaning forward again, bridging the weight of the moment with curiosity.

"The question I have is this: what is it that you gain from being a business woman now? Independence and private wealth bringing security?"

Ra'a'mah

 

[Ra'a'mah]

Though she tried to maintain the exterior of being relaxed, the former Sith looked around the room. She searched for hidden alcoves that might contain weapons, secret ways to come and go from the room. Or anything else that might make an escape easier. It was as she thought; some windows looked outside, but they were too high to pose a danger. There was the one door they had come through, and nothing else. Maybe this was more of a meditation chamber, but she didn't sense that it was the case. That would be like her inviting him into her home and her laboratory. It just wouldn't happen.

Watching his expression and body language, she started to soften a little. Listening to him describe the changes that they had brought about, she stopped her searching. Instead, she made a deliberate decision to give him a shot. If he betrayed her, then it was her own fault for trusting him.

Leaning forward as he answered her question, she judged him as he spoke, not in a verdict of guilt or innocence but in honesty. Her face remained neutral like usual. It was something that wouldn't change until she considered him a friend, and he was quickly gaining her trust, which was a little surprising since it wasn't something she gave easily or readily. Perhaps age had tempered her, and she was learning to read people more easily. Either way, the man across from her had her interest, curiosity, and she didn't think he was going to betray her.

Lifting her drink, she sipped it and set the glass down. Allowing him to speak his mind, it was courteous as he had given her that same opportunity. Her hostile phrasing died on her tongue, and she let out a breath before breaking her silence.

"It's one of the only lives I've known as an adult. You see, after my master wiped my mind, I spent a short time on Coruscant before I got a job on a freighter. From him, I learned my trade and business acumen. I think today it brings me security and independence, for sure. As for security, not so much. With the collapse of some of the hyperlanes, there is a lack in aspects."

She left out that she had nearly private lanes she used. That was golden information he didn't need to know.

Diarch Rellik