A Planned Partnership

[Allerius Katress]

Imperial City, Coruscant, Core Worlds​

The Imperial Intelligence Headquarters on Coruscant was as busy as always being a hub of non-stop activity while Agents, Sith and Non-Force Adepts alike, sped back and forth with purpose. Allerius was no different than his colleagues. He strode down the hallway which was lined with pillars from which hung the Imperial Emblem. It was hard to tell if it was still day when inside HQ and Allerius had been here for hours already. He tapped the screen of his datapad again and smiled at the displayed time. Just past sunset. Excellent then it was time.

The Sith Assassin grinned, he’d been practically giddy today much to the annoyance of his colleagues but he felt it was justified, afterall he’d been waiting for this moment for eight years and there had come a time when he imagined it’d never arrive. The seeds he’d planted on the first year of his job had finally borne fruit.

Stopping by the administrative office he handed over his electronic device to the prettiest of the office workers so that it could be updated. Smiling he stood with his hands behind his back waiting for the young woman to return.

“Why the pfassk are you so happy?” a rather sour voice coloured with the tones of Coruscant asked from behind him.

Turning Allerius’ grin only seemed to grow at the sight in front of him. The tall woman looked deeply unhappy, her long hair in slight disarray while a short bald man standing next to her matched Allerius’ grin with one of his own. Both were dressed in dark robes, arrayed so that their lightsabers were hidden from view.

“Don’t let Tress bother you, she’s as cheery as always.” he stated in his distinctive Corellian accent colouring his words.

Tress shot her partner a glare as she spoke through clenched teeth. “I will end you Dengar.”

“Oh promises, promises my dear.”

Allerius chuckled at the pair “Do you two ever quit?”

“That’d be boring! So why are you so cheery? You were humming like a schoolgirl in love.” Dengar asked with an amused glance towards his partner who seemed entertained by the comment.

“I’m here to pick up my new partner.”

The pair glanced at one another before turning their focus back to their colleague. “I thought you said you’d never take a partner.”

“Maybe the idiot has finally realised he’s not as good as he thinks he is.” she muttered before suddenly darting past Allerius causing a surprised gasp from behind him. Turning the man saw that she’d stolen the datapad from the assistant’s hands as she approached. She give a quick bow and scurried off looking absolutely terrified.

Tress tapped at the screen with a smirk causing Allerius’s expression to sour. “You know those are confidential, right?” he asked drily but Tress simply shrugged.

“They really should remember to activate the lock them before handing them out.” the Corellian pointed out happily.

Allerius snatched the pad back from a disappointed looking Tress. “She’s a new graduate? Why the hell would you be happy getting stuck with a rookie?”

Before Allerius could respond however Dengar’s smirk widened “Wait. It’s the wormhead you kept talking about?”

Allerius tapped the screen until it turned dark and only yellow eyes shone back him, reflected from the device’s surface. “I’m out before you two kill more of my brain cells.” he said before leaving the office, ignoring their calls from behind him.

Making his way to meeting room 319 he paused at the door before smirking and stepped forward so the door slid open. Entering the chamber he glanced at the other occupants, a female Arkanian who Allerius knew as one of the senior officers and the familiar Twi’lek he’d some here to see.

It seemed her induction was just finishing up. Good timing.

“Hello Ladies, I hope I’m not interrupting?” Allerius asked with a cheerful and pleasant voice.

------
@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Talik Kru]

“Stupid headwrap”, the Twi’lek muttered as she secured the adorned leather headgear into place. It was not her choice of attire in the least, symbolic of her people’s rebellion or not it still came from an attempt at slavers to keep them from using their lekku to communicate. To her there was nothing heroic in taking a slave collar and bedazzling it with jewels and calling it a status symbol. There was nothing worse than the eradication of a culture, and stamping out its language was a successful ploy. Despite her effrontery over the garment, she would comply with the standard of the occasion and not disgrace her people further by appearing ‘nude’, as it were.

Graduation day, she should have been elated and in truth part of her was, but upon seeing the assigned attire had set her off. The package needed no explanation, placed in her room anonymously with no tag or message. It was yet another unasked for ‘gift’ from her master. Naturally it was supposed to provoke her, it was the man’s super power.

Having already dressed in the formal robes, admiring the gauntlets despite her determination to hate anything to do with his Lordship, she had to admit she did cut a fine figure. Turning sideways she approved of the curve of her thigh and upper hips which were exposed along the slits of the waistline. A bright smile crossed her features as it occurred to her that after today, given she got a good assignment in a galaxy far far away, it might be ages before she had to deal with the man face to face again! At least the get up was not purely ornamental. She ran her fingertips over the gauntlets while an errant smile crossed her lips until she halted the reaction, “Rich bastard.”

Transportation had already been arranged; the droid pilot waiting in the hanger to carry its one passenger had no further information to give her than he was to take her to Imperial Intelligence Headquarters on Coruscant. That was not nearly far enough away but it was a good start. To pass the time, she flicked on some soft jizz and left the piloting to the droid. Several times during transit, however, her thoughts kept dwelling on how her life would be changed this time.

Headquarters was every bit as impressive as the propaganda proclaimed, and she found herself gazing up at the ostentatiousness of it all. Yet another droid had been waiting when she arrived and led her through the banner adorned halls to room 319. “You can wait here, the officer will see you in a moment”, the droid informed her as she was ushered into the room. She didn’t have much time to kick her heels, other than to note the chamber didn’t look very ceremonious, before the woman entered the room.

The Arkanian walked directly forward, peering into a tablet, and didn’t make eye contact as she addressed Talik’ru. This was good enough for her as she didn’t think she could have taken much more suspense cloaked in pampas foo for rah. Time seemed to drag on forever as she went over her induction material, explaining her new role, and all the expectations that came with it until at last she concluded. “Now all that remains is for you to meet your assigned partner. See that you…”, the woman’s words were interrupted as the door shooshed open and a familiar figure stepped into the room. His cavalier greeting was lost in the cacophony of protests rushing through her mind and she rushed her words to verify the worst was not coming true. “You?”, she blurted out before continuing, “what are you doing here?”

 

[Allerius Katress]

Wolfish yellow eyes glanced at the Twi’lek as the smiling man turned his attention to her. Striding around the table he let his fingers lightly rest on her shoulder as if they were the most intimate of friends. “Why I’m your new partner of course.” he informed her pleasantly.

Continuing to circle the table Allerius turned his focus onto the Arkanian. “Good evening Sheena, you’re looking as lovely as always. I hope all is well.” he said warmly.

The Arkanian’s lips quirked as she give a faint, somewhat reluctant, smile. “We are just finishing up my Lord, I was about to call so you could take over.”

Giving a faint chuckle he shook he tilted his head slightly. “Well I had to come early, I can’t be giving you anymore work to be doing… but please forget that Lord nonsense. You’re my superior after all, I should be calling you ma’am.” he noted, not entirely correct. Sheena certainly held a more senior position within Imperial Intelligence but Allerius was both Sith and a wealthy nobleman which clouded matters. “Have you got her assigned datapad?” he asked to which the Arkanian nodded and handed the device she had been holding over to him. The issued Datapads assigned to Imperial Intelligence personnel had some incredibly complex encryption software as well as being gene-locked so only the owner could unlock it without the master override… so long as the lock was engaged.

“Thank you. I’ll take it over from here.” he said.

The Arkanian smiled in response “Thank you Katress.”

“Please, how many times do I have to ask you, call me Allerius.”

The woman shook her head with clear amusement and with a nod to Talik’ru she left the room, securing the door behind her.

Now alone Allerius took a seat across the table from his new partner, his charming smile shifting to an almost mocking smirk. “Glad to see you found your way… two years later than I had expected.” he added sliding her datapad across the table towards her. “I’m pretty sure I registered you for the six year curriculum… perhaps your former training was worse than I’d expected. Then again considering the fool who inducting you into the force, can we really be surprised?”

Leaning back in his chair the man crossed his legs and made a show of looking the Twi’lek up on down. “I must say you look quite charming my dear.”

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@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Talik Kru]

Talik’ru’s lips mouthed the word partner but she couldn’t force sound to bring her voice to play. It was just as well to say nothing for she was more than aware she was giving too much away as it was. Unfortunately her thoughts were not that hard to guess and as he trailed round the room her eyes followed his having seen that look before. It was the same as that worn by a predator that had its prey cornered. Although she hardly needed the verification, her gaze then went to that of the Arkanian hoping she would say there was a mistake. Such a plea was worse than useless, the woman was clearly under his spell as so many seemed to be.

A chill went through her body as his fingers came to rest upon her shoulder and she was unable to withhold the flinch this provoked, minor though it had been. He was such a liar! Oh so cordial to everyone, even herself; in public. No doubt Rycrit butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth! Her fingers clenched the seat of her chair to either side of her legs as the man who had killed her true master took his seat across the table. It should have been Sobrosh Res’ chair and he that partnered her in the years ahead.

Years…

That made her heart sink and all her false hopes of the morning went with it. Instead of a reprieve from his periodic visits she was to be under his vile watchful eyes. At his side!

Talik’ru rose to her feet when Sheena got up to leave stepping away from the table to face her squarely as she left the room. A graduate she might be, but she was as yet untried and this attention to protocol toward the senior officer was not something she would neglect. Part of her wanted to walk out the door right behind the woman, but it wasn’t from fear. She knew that one day she would be free of the man, and she looked forward to the day she could rip his heart from his chest to eat.

Well, maybe not to eat. No doubt it was just a cinder of darkness and would even make blood worms look appetizing. Her hands came to rest upon the back of her empty chair as she turned back to face him. How long before he dropped the mask and became openly taunting? Barely a heartbeat it seemed for he was already firing shots about how long it had taken her to graduate. Her right hand moved forward to stop the datapad from sliding to the floor catching it easily. Oh but he was just getting warmed up, his comment about her master causing her to snort and shake her head.

“I guess we will never know, seeing as you killed him but one year into my training”, she quipped while pulling the chair out enough for her to resume her seat. It was deceptive how free of rancor her voice was when she spoke, but then it was not the first time she had thrown Sobrosh’s teachings in her face. A bit of the shock value was wearing off. She smiled setting the data pad on the table before her and placed her hands to either side of the device. He would have to try harder than that to get a rise out of her today.

She had a lot to be proud of despite the way things were turning out. She knew she was growing in skill and here he was going to be right at her side where she could watch and learn. The day would come when she had discovered his weaknesses… and he would be helping her to get her revenge even if he didn’t know it. So smug.

Her eyes went to that of the screen familiarizing as though familiarizing herself with the device. “I suppose I should feel honored you went to all this trouble to partner up with me”, she diverted the conversation. No way was she even going to acknowledge his comment concerning her looks. “I trust my real partner is not lying dead in a space dock somewhere?”

 

[Allerius Katress]

He observed his new partner with an amused smirk, leaning on the arm of his chair he rested his chin against his hand. As she mentioned her master being a former target of his the Assassin tutted softly as his inhuman eyes gleamed with dark amusement. “Now, now my lady. I recommend you be careful what you say, the walls have ears even here.” he informed her. He didn’t bother to comment on her year of training, which was more than he’d ever had before his time on Ossus although she probably assumed he’d had more. He was admittedly an anomaly having his sensitivity detected so late despite his family’s involvement with the Empire.

He let his thoughts turn inwards as he reflected and wondered if she had taken longer to pass because of her seemingly constant irritation towards him. It was definitely a possibility but if so that was something they’d have to correct. Her frustrations, her anger, should be sharpening her focus and not dulling it.

His free hand tapped absently against the desk as he brought his attention back to the woman across the table from him. “Honoured… I wonder.” He murmured as a strange expression flicked across his face, Allerius glanced at the wall behind her as he considered the point. She was an eight year investment he guessed. The vision from so long ago seemed nonsensical now and he was beginning to wonder if it had been anything other than a dream. An honour? He hoped that was all it ended up being. “I’m sure it is…”

At her comment the man’s eyes locked with hers once more and his smirk renewed itself. “My dear you cut me to the bone to even suggest such a thing. To attack a loyal member of the Empire? A comrade of the Sith Order! Why I would never… unless it was necessary of course.”

The old ways of constantly slaying other Sith was no longer as prevalent as it once was but they were still the embodiment of the Dark Side, the weak eventually met their ends. Treachery was the way of the Sith afterall. In truth it was far more common than officially recognised which was why Allerius avoided getting too entangled in the political bickering of Sith Lords. His ambitions lay elsewhere regardless.

“Well regardless I see you got my present.” He noted with a glanced at her attire. “I admit I’m surprised. I half expected you to throw the unopened package in my face. Surprised but pleasantly so.”

He was forgetting something… oh that’s right. Patting at his robes he located the object he was looking for and withdrew a small black key card and set it on the table. “A welcome gift.” He stated without explanation.

Standing up the Sith Assassin gestured for the Twi’lek to do the same. “Well we’re on the clock so let’s get a move on.”

Waiting outside the room until she followed the man began walking down the Hallway. “I assume you were given a tour of the relevant areas of this compound so I won’t waste your time.” He informed her. “This is one of the most secure facilities in the entire Galaxy. You’ll be registered with the security system so you’ll have access to the necessary sections when you visit. Most of our work will be off-world however, we’re not here to police the Capital.” As soon as they’d entered the hallway the man’s personality had changed once more. His expression had grown serious and his crisp educated tones had become brisk and to the point.

Silently Allerius was beginning to realise he should have been present at the woman’s briefing, he had no idea how much she’d been told about her assignment. How much was he responsible for? She was technically the same rank as him both within the Agency and the Sith Order but she was also his junior partner. Damn it maybe he should have had an induction.

Pulling out his datapad the man began tapping at the screen without breaking his stride, he brought up his fake credentials for the Diplomatic Corps and his assignment details as well as his partner’s matching version and transferred them to her device. “I’ve sent you some information. The summary of it is that publically you work for the Diplomatic Services as an attaché alongside myself. We’ve minor jobs but it’s enough to get us a place at an Embassy for when we need to officially be on world.” He told her.

Entering an turbolift he hit a button and once the doors closed behind Talik’ru he continued. “Of course sometimes we’ll not always be officially anywhere. On such times we’ll have to use aliases, fake credentials and all the usual stuff. Imperial Intelligence will frequently provide us with our cover documentation to make life easier.”

He paused. “Any questions?” he asked before adding “Also is there anything you need to take care of in the City?”
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@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Talik Kru]

He sure appeared to be pleased with himself, the way he smirked, his casual posture as though he had just won a prize heffer. She sniffed knowing in a sense he had, though she could not argue with his cautionary words. His secrets were her secrets and his fall at the hands of anyone other than herself was not part of the plan. Nor did she suppose that his initial threats against her life, and those that had continued over the years, were idle in the least. She wouldn’t put it past him to have made arrangements for her demise in the event of his own. Her painted brows drew together slightly as she assumed had such an order been made, Allerius may not have specified she be spared if his own death was not at the hands of her betrayal.

His name felt odd in her thoughts, for it was not the one by which she knew him. The thought was distressing. Eight years and she hadn’t even known his true name? Assuming that Allerius was not yet another alias. How was she to prevail over him if she was so easily fooled? Just how far undercover did he live? Was there anyone who knew his true name?

Her eyes moved about the features of his face as he spoke, keeping silent the whole time watching each change in expression that his words provoked. Only when he proclaimed he would never kill one of those loyal, then took it right back again, did she make a sound and that was to laugh. She could not help but be amused by his sense of humor from time to time. The man did have his skills when it came to charming those he wished to use. Aware of this motivation, although she felt there must be more than those on the surface, it was a point of focus to keep herself from falling under his spell. Not that having a murder to avenge would ever allow her to succumb, she was nothing more than a tool.

He lay a card key on the table then announced it was time to get moving. Slipping the key into one of the compartments of her belt, she took the data pad in hand and followed him from the room. Perhaps he had already revealed to her one weakness and she planned to exploit it to the fullest. He was sure of himself, so sure that he intended to keep her near at hand. One day he would regret that mistake.

Nodding her head she murmured, “Yes I was given the tour”. The droid had been very thorough, unfortunately. She had been all too eager to get on to her assignment; well, here it was. Her data pad flickered indicating she had received the file and ,though he gave her the highlights, she opened the file and gave it a cursory glance as they proceeded along the corridor. So far it didn’t seem so hateful and she could see the benefits to having diplomatic immunity.

Talik’ru closed the file and keyed the lock on the device while stepping into the elevator. She would go over the file in more depth later. Despite her motivation, she couldn’t help but be intrigued by his hints at secret missions, false identities, and the like. That meant she would learn things of which most in the [corps] would be unaware. Perhaps through these secrets she might learn of his own.

HIs question called for an answer and she shook her head leaving her thoughts of murder behind for now. “No. My ship is in storage”, such as it was. She didn’t figure if she was going to be doing undercover work that something so traceable as her ship would be required. It was nothing compared to what the Empire could provide. “There really isn’t anything else for me to attend to”, she paused before adding his common name, “Allerius.”

 

[Allerius Katress]

He smiled at her as she used his name. “Ah… it’s like music to my ears to hear such a beautiful lady address me so informally.” he said while closing his eyes as if overwhelmed by the gift she had bestowed upon him.

Smirking he continued. “Ah you’ve a ship. Very good. We’ll be heading immediately to our current assignment as soon as we’re finished here. I’ve been stationed to the Alderaanian Embassy for now although we don’t have to report in for a few weeks but I want to make sure you’ve time to get familiar with the planet.”

As the lift came to a stop and the doors slid open he added “I do need to make a stop at the acquisition office first.” he informed her. “Hopefully the order is ready. I’d rather not have to make the flight back.”

Folding his arms behind his back as they walked he glanced at the woman at his side “So I never did ask, how did you find your time at the Academy? I never attended the Coruscanti one myself.” he asked. He was curious not only about her experiences at the enclave but also what particular parts of the curriculum she enjoyed. The only thing Allerius had any experience with when it came to the Twi’lek’s skill set was her lightsaber fencing and even then they’d had restrictions placed upon the matches. He found, much to his surprise, he was excited to see what his new partner was capable of. It felt unusual to care about someone else’s abilities in such a way.

Of course he was no fool, he could sense the girl’s emotions flooding from her, she’d need to learn to close her mind off from other force sensitives although he knew from experience the Academies rarely considered that an important topic although the unusual one at Umbara had covered such subjects. Allerius had never been a teacher before, perhaps he would indulge if she allowed him.

“Ah here we are.” he noted entering a set of double doors to their right.

Striding up to the counter he frowned seeing only a droid was present behind the glass. Usually a person was manning the acquisitions office. Allerius didn’t trust machines, they broke too easily in the head.

“How may I help you sir.” it asked, registering his presence.

“I’m here to collect order AK-211” he said as he unlocked his datapad and set it on the counter to be scanned. After a moment a confirmation beep came from the built in scanner.

“Thank you sir.” replied the droid. “On moment.”

Sighing he lifted the pad and locked it while leaning on the counter waiting for the machine to return.

“After this we’ll head to the hanger bay in the City.” he told her while glancing over the counter into the backroom, clearly impatient for the droid to return.

The droid eventually returned and handed over 2 briefcases, after a short inspection he handed one to Talik. “To open it press a hand on the side.” he said, doing so with his own causing the case to beep as the hidden embedded handprint scanner detected the input. “Then allow it to scan your eye.” he added as he held the top of the case towards his eyes, eliciting another beep. His case beeped and unlocked but he immediately reset the locking mechanism. “Don’t open it yet.” he warned her.

“So that is us finished with Headquarters business for now. Time to make our way to the spaceport, we’ve a private hangar bay there with everything waiting for us.” he informed her as he headed for the exit.

 

[Talik Kru]

As he made his little joke at her expense, Talik kept her eyes upon the doors of the turbo lift willing them to open. Of course he wouldn’t explain having used the alias of Soren Misu. No doubt he was rife with glee over having pulled the wool over her eyes for so many years. In no way was she interested in his lame attempts at flattery and in no way was she interested in the type of woman the man found attractive. No doubt the criteria was none too discriminating as he seemed to act like flirting could get him anything. The thought made her eyes flick to his face despite her determination not to deign his dramatic response with a reaction.

Acting. He was always on the stage. Who knew what his true motivations were? Clearly she would have to get a handle on her hatred for the man and pay closer attention to what was going on behind the mask if she was to gain the upper hand. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly reminding herself not to squander this opportunity by becoming swallowed by her hatred. She was no longer an untrained waif on the auction block, she was Sith and hatred was a very useful thing.

There was plenty enough for her to focus on for the moment. Alderaan was known to her but it was a world to which she had never been. That was not saying much as other than her time here at the Academy on Coruscant, Ryloth was the only world she had known. Although she had more than enough time to come to terms with the fact that her homeworld was forever denied to her, she didn’t imagine that any world would ever compare. Still, it would be nice to to set her feet upon real soil once more. Despite only having one short year under the tutelage of Master Res, the Togruta’s philosophy of connecting to nature had endured. She was even prone to walking around barefooted and looking forward to experiencing that sense of unity once more.

Still, she was mindful that their missions would more than likely see them off world than kicking about the Embassy and as such she knew the concept of home would forever be but a memory. Exiting the turbo lift, she walked alongside him with a good deal more poise than before. His question drew her focus and she pondered how much to tell him. Certainly a lie would be pointless as no doubt he knew precisely where she had excelled and where she had not. “I find Telekinesis to be my weakest point but I believe that I enjoyed stealth the most. It is remarkable how intuitive it is.” Talik also excelled in drain techniques but she saw no reason to explain how invigorating she found the practice. But had the Academy been fun? Is that what he was asking?

Her ire began to raise once more at the effrontery of her ‘partner’. Collared and dropped off to be turned into a good little slave for her murderous master? Did he think she would look back to this time in her old age fondly romanticizing it as the best years of her life? He had to be taunting her yet again and she did not make comment on how enjoyable her experience had been. That she had him to thank for the new life that was about to open up for her, for the opportunity to become Sith and never have to scrape for a living again? Well, that only made her more resentful of the man. Naturally she could use this to become stronger, to one day end his sorry existence and make him pay for what he had done. It was a pretty sick setup and one she did not care to dwell upon for very long this morning.

By the time they walked through the doors to the acquisitions office she was only marginally seething rather than fully angry. Though the man would have more to pay for than just the murder of her Master. His lies…

Her eyes went to him lounging against the counter as if he hadn’t a care in the world.'Oh yeah I lied about you being a slave, get over it'. That hadn’t been his exact words, but it may as well have been for all the more understanding he exhibited over what that had done to her. No doubt it was on purpose to feed his sick little sense of humor. Perhaps it was time to get a little amusement for herself? The corner of her mouth quirked upward as she noted his obvious impatience while the droid retrieved their package. It was a new side to the man she had never observed and already she was thinking up ways to use this weakness to her advantage. For the pure enjoyment of annoying him, naturally. Petty, but humorous all the same.

The case seemed to be set up with pretty standard security though she was curious what might be inside. Following his direction, she left hers unopened and followed him out of the supply room for the hanger bay. Certainly her steps were her usual full stride but her pace was a bit lagging. “So, what can you tell me about our quarters on Alderaan?” She was interested after all, but the questioned was designed to draw attention from her dawdling pace.

 

[Allerius Katress]

Allerius ignored the urge to chuckle at the girl. He could feel her emotions boiling under the surface… rage and frustration came off her in waves of heat through the force. He was glad that she’d adapted to fuelling her power with passion. The Assassin had long wondered if her old master, Sobrosh Res, had been a heretic who’d fallen to the Light. During their short fight he had felt wrong, unlike a Sith Warrior, which was why such a reason for his execution was the Alderaanian’s leading theory. His queries to the Imperial Intelligence Agency had annoyingly gone unanswered. It was quite possible they didn’t want the knowledge of a Sith Lord being infected by the Light becoming common knowledge. It was a well-founded fear.

Her anger was still boiling under the surface and he shook his head slightly. Many Sith didn’t bother to disguise their emotions from each other but in the Intelligence business it could get you killed. He’d have to teach her how to use the Clear Mind technique he’d learnt to mask herself from the force senses of others. Still he was glad to see the girl had learnt patience, in their previous private meetings while she attended the academy there had been times when Talik had practically leapt at the first chance to attack him. Control was more important than many of his fellow Sith give it credit for and he appreciated that she wasn’t rising to his baiting.

Although he hadn’t really got started yet. There would be more time for such fun later.

Allerius give a genuine smile at her reply. “Me too.” He admitted “The more… covert elements of my training was both the most enjoyable and most useful I found.”

Although he wouldn’t consider himself bad at using telekinesis techniques per say although he lacked finesse. He’d have to work on that. Trying to improve his general force abilities was part of the reason the nobleman had hired that layabout Sorcerer after all. He hoped the idiot was actually doing something useful back on Alderaan and not just eating the Katress Family out of house and home.

“Hmm?” He asked with a smirk “Well we’ll of course be sharing a cosy little room at a wonderful local hotel that I found for us.”

He let the lie sit out for a few moments before adding “There’s a house ready for us. You’ll see when we get there.”

Leaving the Headquarters the two walked through the streets of Corsuscant in silence. Allerius being concerned too much with what had to be done over the next few weeks. He hadn’t visited his family in a while either, no doubt that was going to be an unpleasant conversation.

Eventually the pair came to the Imperial Hangar bay and with a quick input of the security codes the door slid open to allow the pair entrance. Striding into the small private government facility Allerius clicked his tongue. “They should be around here somewh-ah, here we go.”

Towards the back of the room amongst the ships lined up where two Crux-Class Starfighters which the Assassin had requested for use. The small fighters were pretty low-class ships but the trade-off was worth it to secure small hyperdrive equipped transports.

“I hope you finished your Imperial Pilot Training.” He teased knowing that she had done so before graduation. “I know you said you had your own ship but frankly I want you using Imperial class fighters to get used to, later you can have your personal ship recalled if necessary. The start-up requires the Key Card I give you earlier alongside a voice command, you’ll find the vocal code required on your datapad.”

Without waiting he leapt into his own ship and began the start up process. Speaking via the ships communications he added “You’ll find the navcomputer already programmed for Alderaan.”

Waiting only for confirmation from flight control for the pair to be allowed to take off the man began his pre-flight checks. With confirmation from control flickering on his screen he paused to wait for his system read out to come back positive. Looking over at his partner’s vessel he smirked seeing that she was likewise ready for take off, which meant she’d used the voice command.

“Oh this is going to be fun.” he murmured to himself as the starfighter lifted slowly of the ground. Once the ship exited the bay it began to accelerate, rushing out of the atmosphere towards space.

The navicomputer made the necessary calculations as Allerius piloted his ship to an authorised hyperspace jump point. The confirmation came back signally the ship was ready and he slowly pushed forward the lever as the ship leapt into hyperspace.

Onwards to Alderaan. Onwards to home.

 

[Talik Kru]

His reply was interesting; did that mean he was weak in the sorcery arts or was he merely toying with her by revealing a false weakness? It would bear watching nonetheless, she mused while the implications set in over how trying her future was about to become. Talik knew she had entered into a whole new reality and she reminded herself that it was not the first time her existence had been irrevocably altered. Confidence flooded her being with that thought; she had adapted before, she would do so again.

So it was that his taunt about their living arrangements didn’t set her lekku into a tangle of vulgar expressions; instead her outward reaction was no more than to turn her head and raise a delicately sculpted eyebrow in his direction. There was a slight feeling of satisfaction when, upon seeing his jab had not elicited her rage, he relented with what she assumed was at least a veiled facsimile of truth. “A whole house?” she smirked slightly, “How charming we shall be. Do you suppose the neighbors will come over with a welcome basket? Perhaps we should get a pet. How do you feel about Loth-cats?”

There was plenty of time in which to ponder the future along the walk to the hanger, but this Talik did not do. Master Res had told her worry was worse than death and not to indulge in such delusions. The important thing was to train and grow in strength. In that way it wouldn’t matter what the future brang; she would be more than capable of meeting its challenges whatever they may be.

Entering the Hanger after he input the security code, the cold of the air rushed forward to bath her in its chill. Despite the harsh conditions upon the surface of her homeworld, she was raised in the subterranean world of Ryloth and the chill was as common place to her as breathing. His quip elicited one of her own, “Afraid I will be arrested for flying without a license, Allerius?” Not waiting for him to swoon once more over the use of his name, she rather like the familiar as it put them on an even playing field. A slave would never be permitted such a manner of address. Wasn’t there an old folk song about the chill of Independence Day? Humming the melody softly, she angled off toward her new ship and immediately she was of a mind her old one could rot in storage. A soft whistle escaped her lips as she climbed on board and began to check out the interior.

Although the configurations were identical to the model upon which she had trained, she knew enough to know that every ship was its own creature when it came to how it handled. Seated comfortably enough, she extracted the black card key and the voice imprinting program initiated itself.

“Oh fer crying out loud…” she fumed when she mentally read what her voice command had been set to. Crossing her arms she glared at the other ship as though her gaze alone could ignite the man into a ball of flames. No doubt he would see her mouthing the code, “Allerius is the sexiest man alive.” All the bells and whistles came on line immediately, and her first order of business was to change the pass code. She would die before ever saying those words again.

For certain the sound of amusement in his voice coming over the comm threatened to throw her into a fit. Instead she channeled her anger as she cued the lift off sequence. “Do try not to get lost in space, Allerius. I would cry myself to sleep every night if something were to kill you.” It was obvious the rest of that sentence held the unspoken sentiment, ‘before I can’.

[end thread]