Private The Senator and the Ambassador

[Adelle Bastiel]

Theed, Naboo
Tags: Anet Raine

Not far from the Senate chambers, there was a rather convenient if high end lounge that typically catered to the political, noble, and other elite interests. Usually Adelle avoided it—the innate snobbery of the clientele was an immediate turn off, even if the atmosphere was very nice. Today, however, its convenient location outweighed her dislike for its patrons. She’d been sitting in on a Senate meeting with Aurelian and Sibylla, trying to both learn about the Republic’s methods and stay on top of its foreign policies.

With the Republic in a state of war with the Sith Order, it mattered more than ever now.

Which meant that she couldn’t take too long seeking out refreshments while the Senate had adjourned for a recess.

Adelle sat down in a plush booth, smaller and cozier than the booths that housed groups of nobles and politicians. She didn’t even glance at the menu projected from the holo in the middle of the table, subtly embedded within the rich native wood. It would always be Corellian whiskey, Whyren’s Reserve, as long as she could find it.

She set her buy’ce down on the table, visor facing out from the partition wall next to the booth. Aurelian hated it but these days, she prefered wearing the beskar’gam as opposed to the fancier outfits he’d chosen. The Mand’alor’s recent moves and the Empire’s expansions hadn’t gone completely unnoticed by their client’s people. Rumors moved uneasily around the Embassy, although the DEFCON level was lower than it had been. Aether had insisted the armor be more present when she resumed her residence here. His trust in the Republic’s governance of the Jedi had completely been eroded by Jedi elsewhere.

Adelle leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. Today was one of those days she just wanted to disappear into the galaxy again, living an uncomplicated life on a farm as a doctor.

 

[Anet Raine]

Adelle Bastiel​

Anet was always one for the classics.

For Anet's part, she wore a dark blue dress with silver trim. It was form-fitting and shoulderless, with an hourglass of fabric wrapped around her neck - sheer above the chest and along the mid-thigh until where the cut ended just past the knee. She paired it with a matching shoulder cloak, bracelets in gold and silver, and a pair of dark leather open-toed sandals that wrapped up around her ankles. Her makeup, on the other hand, was subtler than her outfit. A bit of foundation, highlighter, some lip gloss, and sharp black eyeliner.

She liked how she looked the last time she had the opportunity to dress up. That it reminded her of Kirie... Well. That was a bonus.

The senator escaped the clutches of the senatorial chambers and used every excuse in the book to ditch her aide, too. Space - that was what she needed. It had become increasingly harder to maintain the double life. It cost her a lot. Her time. Her passions. Her connection to the Force, which was locked within a mask she left on Coruscant. Every time she took it off became harder. Every time she put it on cut her deeper. The weight of existence grew heavier, and the desire to shatter it and reclaim her power in full was a constant scratching at the back of her mind.

As she approached the lounge, Anet first noticed all those nobles and politicians she wanted nothing to do with. No amount of information gathering or fire stoking could overcome her sheer disdain in the moment.

So she walked on, even ignoring a request by a colleague to discuss some bill or another, as she made a beeline for the quieter booths.

That was when she noticed a face out of the corner of her eye.

Anet stopped and smiled lightly.

"Senth," she uttered sweetly. "Now what are you doing here of all places?"

Yes, Anet was sure of it. This was the woman she had met in that club on Coruscant. She eyed her helmet and the rest of her armor.

'Interesting...'

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Anet Raine

"Senth," she uttered sweetly. "Now what are you doing here of all places?"

Oh fething hells, it would happen here and now. The one time someone from her mercenary work would be when there was a time limit. Adelle kept her face carefully neutral. She hadn’t put in the color-changing eye drops. They would see and know her real face. She turned her head to look at the speaker.

Pantoran, by the look of it. A CEO? Or politician? Adelle couldn’t immediately place her, but she knew she hadn’t met with many Pantorans. It would come to her eventually. She started bouncing a leg beneath the table.

“Business,” she said evenly. Still, she nodded to the other seat in the booth. Keeping the woman standing for this conversation would attract attention and that was the last thing she wanted. Perfume, light and floral, wafted on the air around the woman. Adelle swore she could smell jasmine, and that brought up memories of jasmine, petrichor, and ozone.

She turned towards the woman, leaning an elbow on the bar. "First. What information? Second, what compensation?"

And third, her smirk widened. "Hello, I'm Anet. And you are?"

Oh fething Nine hells. It would be the Sith she met on Coruscant. What was she doing here? Clearly, she'd hid her presence or the same Jedi that confronted Quinn would've found her. Wait… Anet. Pantoran. It had to be Anet Raine, senator of… Adelle couldn’t remember the planet, only that it started with a ‘B.’ Based on how freely she walked, it was clear no one knew.

And unfortunately, she was one of two people she'd asked to help her uncover leads on Krayt.

“This is… unexpected,” she said. She’d leave it up to Anet to reveal why she’d elected to approach now.

 

[Anet Raine]

Adelle Bastiel​

Anet slid into the seat across from her. It was quite like Coruscant. She sat with absolute confidence. An arm sprawled across the backrest and one leg over the other. Her eyes weren't particularly shy either; they remained locked on Senth's.

"You look...

"Different."

A waiter droid approached. "My usual," she uttered, then waved the droid away.

"Right away, Senator." It replied.

She smiled softly at Senth. "Quite agreed. Alliances are written, wars formally declared, and an underworld mercenary is sitting quite comfortably in a den of lobbyists and politicians - like she belongs here."

The droid returned with her drink. Strong and earthy, with just a hint of mint. She brushed some hair out of her face and took a sip.

Without her mask, she was no different than anyone else who wasn't Force-sensitive. Even the wisest Master wouldn't have a clue. Of course, Senth knew differently.

"I think we're overdue for an interesting conversation. Don't you?"

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Anet Raine

Adelle shrugged when Anet noted the difference in appearance. There wasn’t much she could do about that now. Thank Whills she kept her own presence dimmed to that of the average person with Art of the Small.

“I like to mix things up now and again,” she said, relaxing back into the booth. A waiter droid rolled up to the table, placing Adelle’s ordered glass of whiskey onto the table as Anet ordered and dismissed it. My usual. She frequented here often enough to have a regular order. As if Adelle needed another reason to avoid this place in the future.

She smiled softly at Senth. "Quite agreed. Alliances are written, wars formally declared, and an underworld mercenary is sitting quite comfortably in a den of lobbyists and politicians - like she belongs here."

“Even the powerful like to feel protected,” she said. Which was true, even if it wasn’t the reason she was here. Sitting across from Anet in the lounge felt no different than sitting next to her in Club Cadaver. The only difference was the lack of constant pressure from the Dark Side.

"I think we're overdue for an interesting conversation. Don't you?"

“Are we?” Adelle raised her eyebrows and took a drink from her glass. “As I recall, that conversation requires you to have something first.”

This was the first potential bit of good news she’d had today. Hopefully, it was something she could work with.

 

[Anet Raine]

Adelle Bastiel​

Anet smirked. "You're right." She took another sip.

"Really, though - I wasn't sure I'd run into you again. I gave you my location on Belazura, and you never showed."

The way she spoke, she sounded like a wounded paramour, disappointed after getting stood up. Anet reached into her sidebag and pulled out a datapad.

"You're lucky I held onto..." She trailed off, quite distracted by what was on the viewscreen.

Anet cleared her throat and quickly minimized it, then sifted through her data.

"Ah. Here we are."

Then Anet inserted a data chip and transferred the files. She pulled it right out and tossed it across the table. Partly, she was curious to see if she'd catch it.

"You know, I'm not the only one who accessed these records. Others, who shan't be named, have taken an interest in rebuilding the Underworld. So, don't be surprised if your curiosity leads you into the company of jackals."

Another sip.

"Anyway... I trust it's all there. So - how about our conversation then?"

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Anet Raine

Belazura. That was the name of the planet.

“Apologies, Senator,” Adelle said. “I have been quite pressed for time since our first meeting.”

Anet tossed the datachip instead of setting it down on the table like a sane being. Still, Adelle’s reflexes hadn’t dulled since the year she’d lived in Coruscant’s underworld and she caught it. Adelle looked up at Anet while she talked, pulling out her own datapad. Others accessing the files did not bode well, but it made sense that other gangs, other crimelords would try to pick apart the carcass that was Krayt’s empire.

“Jackals and carrion eaters are always a risk,” she said, inserting the chip into her personal datapad. It was unfortunate that she didn’t have a burner on her, but the Nite Owls did make sure she had some hefty protection for it. The security scans came back clean and the files began popping up. Adelle’s jaw set at the little she skimmed. If this was accurate, she had her work cut out for her.

Adelle put her datapad away again. “Alright. You’ve earned that conversation.”

 

[Anet Raine]

Adelle Bastiel​

"Naturally," she replied and tucked her datapad away.

Anet's eyes flicked first to the woman's helmet, to the rest of her ensemble, then back to the woman herself.

"So you're a Mandalorian..." She remarked.

It wasn't a difficult guess - obviously - but it immediately checked a few boxes in Anet's head. First, there were four immediate possibilities. One: Senth was a lone Mandalorian mercenary. Two: she was just a mercenary who had fancy armor and no taste for cultural sensitivity. Three: she was of the Empire. Four: she was Kestran.

That last one was an immediate nix. If one of them was on Naboo, she'd know about it. Leaving options one through three. But the first two didn't make sense here, of all places. Anet briefly scanned their surroundings. A Mandalorian's armor was as much a weapon as it was a piece of defensive equipment. She likely had permission... Which meant.

"...With the Empire."

Anet picked up her drink and downed the rest, setting aside the empty glass. She chuckled.

"Ah, of course! See, this is what I get for being absent all the time. You wouldn't believe what kind of business I get pulled into these days." She thought immediately of Abregado-rae, and her role within all of it. "Industrial concerns," she smiled, speaking as if it was another dull day on the job.

"I heard there was an envoy or something. Is that you?"

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Anet Raine

Adelle watched the Senator-Sith’s gaze move from buy’ce to beskar’gam and back to her face. Much like her physical appearance, there was little she could do about that now. It helped that Mandalorians were known mercenaries. She could lean into that, buy some distance from her official role.

"So you're a Mandalorian..." She remarked. "...With the Empire."

Anet’s intuition was far better and more accurate than Adelle was comfortable with. If she ever saw her anywhere else, with anyone else, she’d be able to put the rest of the pieces together. And that didn’t sit well with her. Adelle would have to take more care now. Especially around the Senate.

"Ah, of course! See, this is what I get for being absent all the time. You wouldn't believe what kind of business I get pulled into these days." She thought immediately of Abregado-rae, and her role within all of it. "Industrial concerns," she smiled, speaking as if it was another dull day on the job.

“Yes, I can imagine.” The only industrial planet she’d heard of the Sith taking recently was Abregado-rae. The devastation on it and the following holocasts were hard to ignore. Adelle had to mute everything with Abregado-rae as a keyword. Same with Thyferra. But if Anet was talking about Abregado-rae, that placed her with the Sith Covenant, and not the Order. It tracked, given that she’d met Anet on Coruscant but she knew there were allegiances and connections between the two.

“A government as big as the Mandalorian Empire employs many envoys as well as security for them,” Adelle said, before taking a healthy drink from her Whyren’s. This was far too fast to be drinking Whyren’s Reserve but she needed something. “Mandalorians are also free to come and go in Republic space. I may be an envoy, I may be security, I may be nobody. But that is not the conversation you asked for.”

 

[Anet Raine]

Adelle Bastiel​

She noted how quickly Senth drank and grinned.

"Oh, don't be so surprised. Insight is my speciality." She looked over to the serving droid and raised a single finger - another drink.

"Besides, Senth, you have me at a disadvantage. It's in the nature of someone like me to want to balance the circumstances, no?"

Anet pulled her arm off the backrest and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table with both hands clasped together. She lowered her voice just a touch.

"It reminds me of this saying I picked up at a bar on Kadavo: the only honest room is the one with a knife at every throat."

The droid came back again with a second drink. Same one, of course. Anet picked it up and took a sip. She let an ice cube slip into her mouth and chewed on it.

"Also... I did say I wanted an interesting conversation. Is this not interesting?"

She leaned back and lazed again, idly rolling the glass in her hand. "But I do remember your exact words, actually. A favor for a favor," Anet mused with an all-too-self-satisfied smile. "Dependent on the quality of the information, yes?" She had noticed the woman's jaw and wagered Senth received plenty to work with.

"That's not really the interesting part, though." She said. "You said you were a mercenary, and now I find out you're a government employee." She held up a finger and pouted. "And before you give me shit about how 'We're more like a PMC with an Empire,' it is a distinction that matters...

"I operated in good faith. You... operated in less-than-good." She waggled her hand. "Naughty faith, really. That puts a debt in the ledger, doesn't it?"

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Anet Raine

A part of her wanted to wipe the grin off the smug schutta but that would be a scandal in and of itself. And it would out her actual role, which was the last thing she wanted right now. Adelle rotated the glass on the table with the fingers of one hand. Anet sure liked to talk a lot, almost like she enjoyed the sound of her own voice.

Adelle rolled her eyes when Anet asked if this wasn’t an interesting conversation. The woman was positively gloating. Then she pulled out the ‘good faith’ argument. Adelle raised her eyebrows. She was going to try that, was she?

“Good faith about my job? That was never part of the agreement, now was it?” she countered, a smirk at the corner of her mouth. “Every Mandalorian is free to take on contract work and work mercenary jobs as able. So yes, I am a mercenary. I just happen to be part-time.”

She took another sip of whiskey, slowing herself down. Anet had already proven herself to be problematically perceptive. It wouldn’t do to lose count of how much she’d drank if she drank fast.

“You held up your end, I’ll hold up mine,” she said. “So long as it doesn’t endanger Imperial interests. You have something?”

 

[Anet Raine]

Adelle Bastiel​

Anet smiled facetiously. The kind that approximated daggers in a social club. She was amused by Senth's reply - she didn't take the bait.

"Oh, don't worry. I think what I have in mind will only enrich Mandalore, so you needn't be concerned." It was dangerous enough for her, of all people, to say that in a place like this.

It was good timing that they ran into each other, then. Because truly, a 'mercenary' was exactly what Anet needed.

"It's too stuffy in here for a conversation," she said.

Anet stood up and finished her second drink with another effortless gulp. Some talents stuck around from her University days.

"Walk me to my airspeeder?"

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Anet Raine

Adelle knew the kind of look that Anet had. She gave a flat stare in return, waiting for the woman to get to the point. That she said this would benefit Mandalore did nothing to inspire confidence. Lying was easy for anyone, much less a Sith.

"It's too stuffy in here for a conversation," she said. Anet stood up and finished her second drink with another effortless gulp. "Walk me to my airspeeder?"

Yeah, the place certainly was no Club Cadaver: business of this kind couldn’t be done here. Adelle grabbed her buy’ce and slid it into place. Those that had seen her armor would know it by sight but the general population didn’t and she didn’t want to be recognized any more than she already had. She tossed a couple credits onto the table to pay for her drink then stood from the booth.

“Lead the way.”