Whispers

[Vrak Nashar]

Muunilist
[member="Lady Kay"]

Vrak slowly let his fingers fall against the side of the table, his gaze slowly dragging over the figures within the room.

It wasn't often that he attended these sorts of things, it wasn't often that he was invited, but Muunilist was a different sort of animal. They cared not for your species, your origin, or even your beliefs. All the Muuns cared about was the size of your bank account. As long as you had money, the people of Muunilist would always welcome you. It was an interesting, not to mention amusing outlook on life, one that Vrak more than appreciated.

"So glad you could make it Lord Nashar"

The Muun to his left said, a small smile on his face.

"After that little...incident with your last visit we were afraid you held a grudge against our fair world."

Amusement pulled at his lips. The Muun referred to the incident with Seraphina, how he and the Twi'lek had planned an escape of a prisoner from this world. The event had of course been smoothed over with a heap of money, no one even questioning him when he'd set foot back on the planet. "Not at all Minister."

He assured the Muun.

"I'm more than happy to visit this world." He flicked his gaze towards the Alien. "Where I know my funds are kept safe."

The Muun smiled, then slowly inclined his head and walked away. There were other investors besides Vrak to suck up to, and the Muun was keen to get to them all before the end of the party.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Spoiler

Kay had arrived to the party fashionably late. But it was expected as she hadn't visited Muunilist before, so there were plenty of security checks, verifications and clearances to clear before she could even step into the building where the party was being held. Given that she was ruling a world heavy in trade with a stable and growing economy, it was only natural that an invitation for investment opportunities would be sent her way. Moreso out of curiosity than anything else, she decided to attend.

As always, before even leaving the safety of her diplomatic vessel The Free Lady, Kay had prepared herself for meeting other investors. Contacts were placed to hide the yellow speckles in her dark grey eyes, while her Force signature was shrunk down to the size of a small tree nut. She had much to hide, given the growing powers in the Galaxy that hated Force users on both sides, especially those with power.

Two bodyguards walked with her, though slightly behund. Their light body armour hidden underneath their grey and blue tunics, the Commenori colours. The bird-like emblem that was the symbol for the planet was etched above their hearts.

Kay clasped her hands in front of her as she surveyed the others in attendance. The sight of [member="Vrak Nashar"] caught her attention. It wasn't as though she knew him or of him. She had just been visited by a few of his species in recent weeks, more so than at any other point in time rhat she could remember.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Lady Kay"]

Vrak didn't know much about the greater galaxy.

Queens, Kings, even Emperors were barely known to him. It was a byproduct of the isolation that his world suffered even now. His people had long since carried themselves with a larger than average dose of paranoia. Their status as Purebloods meant they were targets for the Jedi and all who would try to do 'good' in the galaxy.

So when Lady Kay wandered into the room Vrak did not recognize her for what she was, though no insult was meant by that of course.

The Pureblood instead stood where he had been, carrying on a conversation with a Twi'lek man who was part of some sort of slave consortium. The Muuns of course did not care what the man did, only seeing him as another avenue for revenue. Vrak had never particularly cared for the brutalities of slavery, mostly because he saw it as ineffective. A servant that wanted to serve was so much more useful than one who was forced to bend the knee.

At least in his experience.

The Muun that had spoken with him earlier slowly made his way towards Lady Kay, taking a deep bow when standing before her.

"We are so glad you could make it, Madam."

The creature rose, giving Lady Kay what could only be described as a slimy smile.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay bowed her head, giving the Muun a polite smile that was well practiced. "Thank you for the invitation. I see that there is a good turn out." That boded well for them. It meant that there was a higher chance of her taking part in an investment. But she had offers for others as well.

"So tell me, who are the bigger players here? I'm afraid that I don't recognize anyone." Mingling wasn't something that she was very good at. She knew that from her experiences in the First Order's fundraising events. It was different when she was on Commenor, as opposed to being elsewhere, of course.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Lady Kay"]

"Certainly."

The Muun said with a small smile. He was a shrewd man, greedy beyond all belief, but he had connections enough that made him popular here on Muuninlist. If one wanted to know someone important, to buy weapons, land, anything at all, the Minister was who they saw.

"There is Baron Shreev from Bastion, Duke Niril from Empress Teta, and of course Lord Nashar from..."

He trailed off as he looked at the Sith.

"Well, no one quite knows where he is from, only what he is."

There was no small amount of insinuation in his voice.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay's eyes followed that of the Minister as he pointed a few individuals out. She made it a point to try to memorize their names for later on.

A brow was raised however, when the Minister pointed out Lord [member="Vrak Nashar"] . "And what is that? Is he a shrewd businessman? A playboy? A tyrant?" Of course she had her own suspicions, but she wanted to be sure of what the Muun was implying.

"Are you giving me fair warning to avoid him?"

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Lady Kay"]

“He's a Sith of course.”

For most that would have been enough to send them running. Perhaps Lady Kay was different, most people on Muunilist were, but the greater galaxy tended to shy away from Sith of all sorts unless they were in power somewhere. It was the nature of things. Doing business with murderers and Killers was generally frowned upon even in the best of times.

The Muun shifted slightly so Lord Nashar would not notice them speaking, or rather so the Alien hoped anyway.

“A Pureblood I believe is the correct term. Those who originally practiced the Darkside of the force.”

He paused.

“Though I am hardly an expert in these matters.”

The Muun was neither a Sith nor a Jedi, simply working off rumor and that which he'd been told before by others.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow. Not so much at the words of [member="Vrak Nashar"] being a Sith, but with him being a Pureblood. Those were rare. She was right to be on guard. She was no Jedi, but still, that didn't exactly keep her from being a target. And it was just her luck that she would happen to stumble upon one here in all places.

She took notice of the Muun's avoidance of Lord Nashar, and wondered if the Sith did as well. There were some that didn't seem too bothered to talk to him, so it wasn't as though he was shunned by everyone.

"He can't be that unsavoury if people seem fine with doing business with him. Either that or you all are just interested in how deep his pockets are. Why else would you have him here?"

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Lady Kay"]

The Muun shifted again.

"Lord Nashar is more...refined...than many other Sith in our fine galaxy."

That was a kind way of saying. Vrak wasn't generally known for murdering and slaughtering his way across planets. He preferred to take more subtle and slower means of victory. He was calculated, cold. Better to move once than a dozen times. The Pureblood seemed to be holding a conversation with a Twi'lek, talking about one thing or another.

"If you wish to speak with him I assure you he will not harm you, not here."

The Muun smiled.

"Though he may find you...unpleasant. Lord Nashar has an odd distaste for humans."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded a little. So [member="Vrak Nashar"] had more control over himself than most. It was no wonder that he was allowed to be here. Most didn't seem to have any fear of him, so that was a good sign as well. Though they could all just be fishing for credits.

"Thank you for the assurances." A brow was raised however, as the Muun spoke of Lord Nashar holding a prejudice over humans. She wasn't used to that and held no prejudices of her own. Perhaps that was why it was so easy for her to attract businesses and governments to her cause. "Unpleasant, you say? Well, it isn't as though I plan on courting him. So, wish me luck."

Kay bowed her head to the Muun before she started making her way towards Lord Nashar and the Twi'lek. She waited until there was a slight lull in the conversation before she bowed her head in greeting. "Afternoon, gentlemen. I hear that this is where I can find the best and brightest of investors. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Queen Kay of Commenor."

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Lady Kay"]

Vrak turned to face the woman as the approached. The slight distaste that flashed across his face would be hard to miss, though Kay had been warned about that very thing by the Muun. Vrak wasn't partial to humans, especially after what had happened on Naboo. Still, he could be cordial at the very least, and slowly he bowed his head in respect, though nothing more.

"I am Lord Nashar." That was all the titles he would give before gesturing to his twi'lek companion. "This is Duke Berelin."

He glanced towards the Twi'lek who seemed far more interested in the human than he was.

"I wouldn't call ourselves investors." Vrak said with a smile. "I prefer opportunists."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay caught the look, but chose to ignore it. Perhaps there was another time to bring it all up, but not now. "Lovely to meet you both."

She raised a brow slightly as [member="Vrak Nashar"] spoke of being an opportunist. "Opportunists. Really? And what types of opportunities do you look for?" Kay was curious of course. Knowing what others looked for was important when it came to a trade world like hers. She needed to know what the trends were.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Lady Kay"]

He gave the woman an amused smile.

"It depends on the situation." True enough. Though many Sith were stereotyped as simple Power hungry brutes, Vrak was far more. Perhaps he was not better than most, but he was certainly ambitious. He glanced briefly towards the Twi'lek.

"Every situation presents something different." He told her. "I like to get the most out of everything."

The Twi'lek seemed to smile at that. "Whatever gets me the most of what I want."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow slightly. [member="Vrak Nashar"] 's answer was pretty vague and there seemed to be some sort of inside joke between him and the Twi'lek. Whatever it was, she wasn't so sure if she wanted in on it. No doubt it was probably inappropriate.

Lord Nashar gave her some sort of clue about himself. He was greedy. That wasn't abnormal among people with titles, but it was helping to paint a picture about him. "And what is it that you want?" She gave another polite yet equally amused smile. It's been a long time since she's played this sort of game.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Lady Kay"]

"Everything." The answer was a bit smug, but honest.

There was no denying his ambition, no denying his want for more and more. His base nature was that of greed. He wanted power, control, he wanted to wave a hand and have entire systems wiped out in a heartbeat. Many Sith wanted the same, though there was a difference between wanting, and making it happen.

"Not very original I know." He mused. "We Purebloods are partial to cliche."

Another rather sad truth.

 

[Kay-Larr]

She smirked. "Everything? Really? I find that hard to believe." Although [member="Vrak Nashar"] probably had specific 'everythings' in mind, Kay decided to keep with the vagueness of his previous answer.

She laughed a little at his comment on clichés. "We are all partial to clichés in some respects, Purebloods or not." Every time Lord Nashar tried to set himself apart and above everyone, she was happy enough to point out that he was like pretty much everyone else. It was always entertaining to poke holes in egos.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Lady Kay"]

"Likely." He said simply. It was a fact that he couldn't really deny, not after meeting so many Jedi. "Perhaps I'm just partial to the ones associated with my people."

A shrug rolled over his shoulders.

Sith, Purebloods especially, more often than not held to one facet of existence. They either thought themselves the best and brightest, or assumed they would eventually end up there. The idea wasn't all that complex really, more based on a pile of ego and arrogance than anything else.

It was who his people were though. "And yourself?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Vrak Nashar"] gave her that small victory. But it didn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things.

He soon inquired about what she wanted. "What I want, Lord Nashar, is more complicated of an answer. I have much that I already require. The rest? It's a work in progress." Events, war, all such things change her goals, depending on how they affect her world. Fortunately recent events have only led to the strengthening of her economy and military. Nothing has threatened that yet.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Lady Kay"]

The amused smile didn't leave his face.

"Progress." He was all too familiar with that phrase. Athiss was rising, but it was taking time, too much time for his tastes. He frowned for a moment, shifting his weight and glancing towards some of the others in the room.

"I suppose you'll find plenty of that here." He told her. "Those seeking...progress."

Or money.

It was always one of the two.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked. It seemed as though [member="Vrak Nashar"] was trying to lump her in with the others as well. It was no wonder that some avoided or were cautious by him.

"There are those that seek progress, and there are those that shape it. I have done rather well for my people, shaping the future for them and growing our borders and economy in such a fast pace. Expansion is the only way to go."

And it was true. Her schedule was so full of meetings with other governments, companies and the like wanting to set up shop on Commenor. It was bound to be the next Coruscant soon enough. Kay's doctor had advised her to slow down and let others handle the majority of her duties. But she didn't have anyone that she could trust to handle the job, and no advisor to discuss matters with. So until that time, she needed to handle it all against her doctor's wishes.