Ask A Throne of Lies

[Vander]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled​

In a galaxy that was in constant upheaval, the Wheel was a station where the war just... never seemed to touch. There were rumors that the Sith had tried to take it before and the Hutts and maybe even the Empire. Vander would believe it. He wasn't in the "know" on any of that, of course. Those rumored attempts had happened before he was really "active" in the galaxy, but despite all of that, the station had stayed out of it. Neutral and on its own.

The Maverick had docked at one of the thousands of external buoys for the "low rollers" who would visit the Wheel. As Vander rode the small transport across from the buoy station to the main Wheel itself, he couldn't help but notice it was... not what he had expected. The station seemed to be split between the "super wealthy" and those who weren't.

All the holonets you could find about the super luxury casinos was - he now discovered - probably very different than what he was going to experience. Most visitors would find "nice enough" places to dock, but even as he approached, he could sense... something below the surface. The whole station felt like it had a malignant foundation below it all, propping up the appearance of beauty.

Wasn't that just the way of the galaxy, though? Vander mused about how much that could represent nearly any planet out here. The galaxy was built on a foundation of lies and stepping on other people's shoulders. Ugliness always reared its head.

As the small transport docked with the Wheel, Vander stepped off and into the main hallways, his eyes sweeping over the area to take in all the people. The place was packed with some people standing around waiting for restaurants and others just trying to push their way to the next hotel or casino.

His face twisted up slightly in an "eww" expression and he just took a moment to step back against one of the walls, letting it all sink in. There was a lot to see here, and it didn't escape his notice just how much security there was everywhere.

Security droids, security officers, cameras... it was his worsts nightmare. He just sighed and rolled his eyes slightly.

The other thing his momentary recon did was allow him to try to spot the woman he was supposed to meet. Another Sith woman with large horns. That should stand out in a crowd, right? He glanced down at his EZPhone to try to check where they were supposed to meet before heading off in that direction.

 

[Azathoth]

At first glance it would probably seem like Aza wouldn't really feel too much at home in a place like The Wheel. But below all of the glitz and glamor that the wheel presented as its face lay a seedy and grimy underbelly where people like Aza thrived. Where else could you buy slaves on the cheap to fuel profane blood rituals?

Not that she had ever done that, definitely not. She also totally didn't have one of those neat rewards cards where you got cool deals like buy ten get one free that she kept in her wallet. Certainly not.

Of course, and much to her own disappointment, that wasn't why Aza was currently on the Wheel. She was here to meet someone she'd never met - a fellow Sith, even - for some sort of job. The details had been light but that didn't bother her much. Easier to lie when you only had partial information. Easier to accidentally volunteer someone's soul to the void when you had the built in excuse of totally not realizing they were your ally.

For now, Aza leaned against a wall with a thin cigarette between her long skeletal-esque fingers, sipping at a glass of dark wine. She'd received the meeting coordinates a little while ago and had arrived before she was supposed to, taking the time to scope out the people around doing whatever it was that people did.

Getting the lay of the land was always a good idea in her book. Easier for a predator to close the vice when they knew all of the angles. She puffed on her cigarettle lazily as her gaze fell onto a man she hadn't noticed before now, one of her eyebrows arching in interest. That was probably him, just judging from the way his eyes darted in the same way hers did. Killers recognize killers, after all.

She tilted her head upward in subtle greeting, likely catching his attention since she was the only one around with pallid white skin with horns to match. There was no real hiding for Azathoth in crowds, not that she ever bothered to do so anyway.

You're late, She said to the man, a look of mock disappointment on her face. Truthfully, Aza would have been just as content finishing her wine and getting another before it was time to get to the task at hand.. whatever that happened to be.

Name? She asked curiously, figuring he was going to lie like all Sith did, but still wanting to know what to call him. I hope you have more details than I was afforded. It would be nice to know what we are doing.

She finished both her cigarette and her wine, putting the butt out in the glass and and tossing both in a nearby waste bin while she waited for Vander to say something.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Vander made his way through the station, glancing down at his chrono and clicking his back teeth together in annoyance. He had intended to arrive nearly an hour ago, but a downed hyperspace buoy had delayed his trip. Now, rather than being thirty minutes early, he was nearly fifteen minutes late.

It put him in a foul mood already and that was before he started having to push his way through all the people.

He spotted the woman moments later. Even if he hadn't known he was looking for a horned woman, there was no question in his mind about who she was. It was the way she carried herself. How the cold wind of the Dark Side seemed just a little bit stronger around her. It was how the cold wind of this place seemed to angle just a bit more toward her as if she fed on it without even knowing.

She was unsettling in the back of his mind. As if just a little bit wrong in a way that couldn't quite be verbalized. Someone to keep an eye on. None of this could have anything to do with Vander's paranoia.

The fact that she opened with "you're late" didn't really improve his mood.

Yeah, he said, almost biting out the word and blowing past it. It didn't really need to be said, and he could make excuses, but they were now on a time crunch. There was no point to it, was there? He'd rather get down to work, and it was just better to... move on.

Corax. You? he asked, straight to business. She was a Sith, and that alone was enough to make sure that he didn't trust her. Using an alias was just for the better with her, and meant it was less likely that any real information about him got out. Of course... it wasn't like there was much information to actually get out. He was mostly a ghost and a nomad by intention. Or maybe it was better to say that his master had made sure of that and for Vander... it was just ingrained now. He couldn't really help it.

We'll have to double time now, he said, checking his chrono again.

We're meeting with an informant from our... neighbors in twenty minutes, he said. He hoped she would pick up on the fact that the "neighbors" were the Empire. The Empire was a big place, and while the majority of people were under heavy scrutiny, it was impossible to track everyone all the time.

Deeper into the... less savory areas, he said. There was no telling what they were going to run into down here, and now their recon was going to have to be cut short. He didn't love it.

 

[Azathoth]

Aza appreciated that Covax didn't take the time to sputter and spin his wheels making excuses for his tardiness. Acknowledgement that she was right was all the pale Tiefling needed, a small grin of satisfaction curling the corners of her mouth the only indication she had even heard him at all.

Azathoth, She replied, her eyes leveling on Covax in an attempt to glean anything from his demeanor that might give more insight to the man than just his name. Anything that he offered was surface level at best, which annoyed her a little bit - Aza took pride in her usually adept ability at being able to read people.

Vexing, but it piqued her interest. Not many people were able to do that.

A shame we have neighbors at all, Aza said flatly, shaking her head in disappointment at the current state of the Order. Of course, it wasn't her prerogative to really change that; she was no conqueror, no warlord. Still, there were more than enough brutes in the Sith that she shouldn't even have to entertain the idea herself.

Works for me, I'm more familiar with the greasier parts of The Wheel anyway. No sense continuing to loiter here, then. You might be content being late but it's not a habit I generally entertain.

Without saying much else, Aza would start walking. She moved through the crowds with the confidence of someone who knew where they were going and paid little regard to the side eye glances and looks that people gave her while she moved through the crowds. Whether it was just her appearance or the aura she exuded that caused this Aza was never quite sure, but she never minded the seas parting themselves to allow her easy passage through the throngs, as it were.

As they walked, the area around them would slowly but surely lose its luster as the shine of new durasteel gave way to the grime and rust of old, the casinos changing from neon-lit pleasure resorts to seedy looking flophouses where only the most desperate and gamble-addicted patrons would dare step foot into.

The security here was lighter, no sense patrolling the places where the whale tourists avoided, and the riffraff mostly took itself out in this part of The Wheel. A self solving problem all things considered.

Do you have coordinates or are we just supposed to sniff this person out ourselves? She asked idly, casting a glance at Corax and barely able to keep the boredom out of her voice. If I were to guess, the gladiator pits seem like the most obvious place. Crowded, but no one paying attention to anything but the bloodbath. She said the last word with a gleeful inflection, Azathoth loved watching the gladiator fights. She never cared who won, only that both fighters made each other bleed.

The good thing about The Wheel, though, is that everywhere lead to everywhere else, so even if that's not where they were headed they'd still be able to get where they were going. She would follow Corax if he indicated they needed to go somewhere else, but until that moment, she'd continue heading toward the gladiator pits.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Azathoth, he thought to himself, only narrowly managing to keep his face from twisting into a confused expression. Her parents must have really hated her or something, he thought, fairly certain he'd once heard about some rumored eldritch abomination with the same name.

Subtle... he couldn't quite help biting back. She could have probably just been named "Sith" and it would have been about equivalent.

Yes, their neighbors were... an issue. Vander's own opinions about the Empire and most of the factions of the galaxy were different from those of the majority of the Sith, but he could recognize the threat the Empire faced to the Sith.

Bit fixated aren't we? he stated flatly as she mentioned him being late again.

She set off quickly without looking back, and Vander... didn't fall into step beside her. That would have been the normal thing to do, but she stood out even in a crowd like this and she was drawing a lot of attention he would rather avoid.

Instead, he just weaved his way through the crowd, watching the people who were watching her. It wasn't that he would ever use his partner as bait, but... it was practical.

As it turned out, no one decided to jump at the chance to stab her. Or shoot her. Or strangle her. Or... well, you got the picture.

Things converted from pristine to... dirtier... to grungy. Of course this was where they had come to operate. This was where the seedy underbelly of the galaxy operated, and Vander wondered to himself if there was ever going to be a time when he wasn't operating out of the slums.

Well, it wasn't this day. If he ruled the galaxy someday it would be because he put the time in now.

The seediness just deepened as the crowd thinned out, and Vander saw no reason to linger behind any longer.

Yeah, at the race track, he said, getting those same psycho vibes off of her as she talked about the bloodbath. He shot her a side eye as she was practically squirming with excitement at the thought. She was probably one of those people who got off on that stuff.

Race tracks and gladiator pits were practically across the "hall" from each other, and the bustling and cheering became much louder the closer they drew. There was a heat that lingered in the air here that came from either the stations power supply or maybe the speeders that zoomed around in tight formation down here.

The hum of engines buzzed around the track and although no one was dead yet, crashes were commonplace. It was almost as dangerous as the gladiator pits, and certainly just as rowdy.

He's going to be wearing an orange jacket. Human. Keep an eye out, he said as he started pressing through the crowd, bristling at how many people were bumping him.

 

[Azathoth]

Mhn. The racetrack was far less interesting than the gladiator pits. Way too much metal and transparisteel and not enough severed limbs and disembowlings. Although, some of the crashes could get pretty gnarly, so Aza just hoped they'd get to see one of those while they were there.

Leave it to a neighbor to wear a color as gauche as orange, She said, taking no effort to hide the disdain in her voice.

It was probably obvious what kind of color palette that Azatoth preferred, it was a shame that most people were given the individual liberty to make that decision for themselves. The customer was always wrong in matters of taste as far as she was concerned.

The place was crowded and raucous, hundreds of eyeballs glued to viewing monitors and watching with elation or dismay as entire weeks earnings were won and lost by millimeters. You could always tell who was losing money they couldn't afford to lose, and it was those faces that brought Aza a smirk of enjoyment.

Those were the kinds of people that were easy to manipulate. Though, that is not why she was here now. Those people were unimportant at the moment, though she would be sure to return here later. For.. research purposes.

Looking around, it didn't take Aza long to spot a man wearing a bright orange jacket. Unfortunately, he didn't appear to be alone, and even more unfortunately, he looked to be in a spot of trouble. One unreasonably jacked Gammorean shadowed by a grizzled and stern looking Quarren seemed to be pressing 'ol Orange Jacket about something, and neither of them looked too happy about whatever answer he'd just given them.

A knife appeared in the Gammorean's hand - well, to him it was a knife, but to Aza the thing looked big and thick enough to be a full-fledged limb chopper - but for the moment, it was only being brandished menacingly and not driven into Orange Jacket's chest.

Well, this certainly complicates things. Aza said, her lips pursing in annoyance. Are we handling this the discrete way or the fun way?

Aza had a feeling of which way Corax was going to lean, and it wasn't going to be the fun way. Still, she would rather be on the same page for now, so she would wait for his response.

Plus, she was sure there was some arcanistry she could do to extract information from a corpse, so whether Orange Jacket survived his little encounter or not wasn't really much of a concern for her anyway.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Vander pushes his way through the crowd, the air smelling with the thick stench of cigarras and spice to the point that it was almost stifling. Add to that the heat emanating off of the people pressed so closely together, and the Sith assassin was solidly of the 'no thank you' mindset.

You're not here to have fun, you're here to do a job, he reminded himself, feeling a nudge, he turned to Azathoth to see her subtly pointing toward the orange jacketed man who looked... pretty out of place here.

In fact, Vander had to do a quick double take, wondering how in the kriff this guy had chosen this place to meet. He'd definitely gotten the idea out of some cheesy spy novel, hadn't he?

Vander's eyes half-closed and half-flittered into a rolling motion as he momentarily just thought about leaving. Maybe not really thinking about it, but... wishing.

They didn't have much time to chat or react, and almost without thinking about it, Vander's own hand wrapped around the hilt of his own vibroblade.

Lure them somewhere quiet and we'll deal with them. No sabers, he said. A stabbing down here would draw some attention, but wasn't too uncommon. A lightsaber cut would draw all kinds of more attention. He had no idea if she had a knife of her own, but if not... well, maybe she could gore them or something.

He started weaving his way through the crowd and came to a stop just behind the duo of trouble makers. His eyes never stopped looking around him, remembering words he'd been taught during his training: just because you're hunting someone doesn't mean you're not also being hunted.

Rather than confront them directly, he glanced down at the Quaarren's back pocket and the clear wallet within, reaching his hand out and tugging at it with the Force. Would the Quarren feel it? For sure, but that was the point.

He didn't stop to look back but began weaving back through the crowd again, careful not to actually lose the duo behind him as he led them both down a side passage.

If Aza moved quickly, she would be able to move in behind one of them while Vander dealt with the other. Hopefully Matt or whatever his name was wouldn't just bolt... if he did, things might get more complicated.

 

[Azathoth]

Aza shot Corax a look that read "no shit, Sherlock" when he mentioned not using lightsabers. She might have been a little murder happy and maybe just a touch over-interested in seeing people kill each other, but Azathoth was not an idiot. Drawing a force user's weapon in a place like this would only get every blaster in the room drawn on them in a second, and even someone as confident in her own ability as Aza wasn't particularly interested in those kinds of odds.

While Corax did his typical MO of slinking through the crowds like some kind of weird ninja serpent, Aza as per usual took the more direct approach. If her partner was going to take care of the Quarren, she would dispatch the Gamorrean. The simpler job, all things considered.

As she approached Orange Jacket and the Pig, Aza shot the Imperial the briefest of glances that said "Play along" before putting her focus on the more, uh, rotund one.

That's a very impressive knife, She said, her words coming out coquettish and breathy. You should let me get a better look at it somewhere more.. private.

The mind trick was an application of the force that was fairly ubiquitous but completely invaluable in certain situations. Of course, it's main limitation was that it only worked on the feeble-minded, and as luck would have it, Gamorreans were never known to be particularly strong willed.

With the subtlest influence, Aza called her skills with the mind trick as well as accentuating her more.. feminine traits, raising an eyebrow in suggestion at the Gamorrean as the words escaped her lips like tantalizing smoke. She could tell almost immediately that it had worked, the Pigman losing his focus on Matt entirely and snorting at Aza with excitement.

Follow me, She said, grabbing his porcine hand and leading him away from Matt and towards the bathrooms.

There was only one other person inside the bathroom when they entered, and it the Twi'lek took one look at Aza and the Gamorrean, his eyes wide in a mixture of shock, disgust and what-in-the-actual-fuck. It took him all of two seconds to dry off his hands haphazardly on his shirt and rush out, not wanting to bear witness to the unholy scene that was about to unfold.

Of course, it wasn't quite what the Twi'lek thought it was going to be, but all things considered, it was still best that he had left. Aza didn't want to take the risk of having to kill someone else because, well, no witness was the best witness.

Opening one of the stall doors, Aza pushed the Gamorrean onto the toilet and smirked seductively at him. Come on handsome, let me hold it, pretty please? Aza's said, her tone saccharine and flirty.

The Gamorrean hesitated for a moment, though Aza held her smirk without missing a beat, and after a tense few seconds he handed over his chopper-knife.

It's so big, she said, admiring it for a second, her implication so upfront and obvious even the Gamorrean would get it.

Without another word, Aza struck at him like a viper, gripping the knife and plunging it through the top of Pigman's skull. He spluttered and oinked just for a moment before his body went slack and he sat slumped on the toilet. Perfect.

Heading back out of the stall, Aza locked it with a flick of her wrist, and other than the slowly dripping onto the floor, it basically looked like someone was in there taking a shit.

Once she passed back out onto the main floor, Aza's gaze fell back onto Orange Jacket, and she headed for his table, her lips curled into a satisfied and predatory smirk.

She hoped that Corax's endeavor was just as fruitful as hers and that he would return sooner rather than later.

 

[Vander]

Vander just assumed that everyone he worked with was stupid. It was a good policy because if they weren't stupid then it was just some bruised offense and if they were stupid, he could head off their stupid at the pass.

Vander glanced behind him to catch sight of one of the assailants following him, knife of their own in hand as he ducked into a side room. It seemed to be some kind of maintenance closet, which was perfect for Vander. He hit a button on his chrono and went to work.

As the enraged Quarren burst through the door, Vander didn't waste any time, his left hand extending outward and grabbing the man with the Force, tugging him off balance before the assassin closed in like lightning.

He grabbed the squid-man's tentaacles, yanking his head back to expose the man's neck as he swung around the man's back, yanking his head hard enough that even if he weren't going to kill the man he'd have back problems for weeks.

That would be the least of his problems now as the vibroblade buzzed to life and plunged into the man's neck, spilling out a violent fountain of blood as he shoved the man's face into the ground, holding him there until the struggling subsided.

This was not how today was supposed to go, he grumbled to himself, doing his best to clean up himself and his blade before scavenging the Quarren's pockets for anything of use.

Stripping out the credits from the wallet and taking anything of value it would look more like a mugging than anything else, leaving behind the wallet itself, the pack of cigarrettes, and the man's nalphone. He did his best to clear off any of his own fingerprints and vacate the area quickly.

From start to finish, it all took... he checked his chrono 2:38. Not bad, he thought to himself. Room for improvement, but not bad.

He left the room and jammed his vibroblade into the door's control panel to prevent easy entry before turning the blade off, slipping it away, and heading back to try to find Matt.

As it turned out... Matt wasn't there anymore.

Kriff he mentally cursed, looking next for Azathoth and not spotting her distinctive horns anywhere.

It's only been three minutes, he can't have gotten far, right? he thought to himself. He didn't know where his partner was, so he did the next best thing: try to get high ground to spot either of them from the upper terrace.

Meanwhile in the bathroom, Azathoth would be just about to leave when the unfortunate happened: a patron who was just a little bit too observant saw the growing pool of blood on the floor, spreading outward. She proceeded to then do that classic "I'm in a movie and I scream loudly" thing, alerting everyone in the bathroom that something was very amiss.

 

[Azathoth]

It seemed that whenever someone had the opportunity to arrive at precisely the wrong time and do exactly the most annoying thing they could possibly do, it was just when Aza had thought she'd made it away scot-free. It seemed to happen invariably when she'd literally gone out of her way to reduce the number of dead bodies she left in her wake and every time it happened it just further solidified the idea that she should always just kill everyone from the jump and cut out all of this bullshit in the first place.

Her eyes instantly snapped to the screamer, some irrelevant woman who was doing nothing but causing more problems. It was impossible for no one to have heard her shrieking, the sound so loud and shrill Aza was surprised that all of the mirrors in the bathroom hadn't instantly shattered from the reverb.

Things are going sideways, Aza said, reaching out with the force in the hopes of finding Corax. Given his nature, she wasn't entirely sure he'd let her words into his mind, but at this point she didn't have much of a choice except to attempt to get his help. Just follow the shrieking.

Without wasting any more time, Aza rushed towards the screaming woman and put a hand over her mouth, shoving her into the wall. Aza's crimson eyes narrowed to slits as she stared at the person who was about to blow the entire operation, not moving her hand despite the sudden silence that filled the bathroom.

She could see the fear in the woman's face, fear that had replaced the noise that had just been coming from her with little else but stunned quiet. For a moment, Aza considered letting releasing the woman without further ado, but instead there was a momentary lapse in her otherwise cool demeanor.

Smashing her head forward, Aza impaled one of her horns straight into the poor lady's forehead, silencing her forever as blood sprayed across her alabaster skin. Pushing the gored-to-death woman off of her, Aza looked around the bathroom, once again left alone with no one else but corpses.

Walking over to the paper towel dispenser, Aza waved her hand beneath it to retrieve a single sheet and used it to wipe the blood from her face.

Should Corax have heard her call, and made the choice to enter the bathroom, he'd find her standing amidst the gore, slowly wiping down her horns.

How exactly she was going to get out of this one Aza hadn't quite figured out, but hopefully Corax would have an idea.

Maybe she'd get that bloodbath after all.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Vander's eyes swept over the area, but even more than that, he listened to his feelings. The Force swirled like a tornado here and blew through his mind with enough force to almost knock him off balance. The elated highs of winning, the despair and fear of loss, and the various intoxicants that plagued the mind's of the gamblers down here.

He had to temper the sensations, letting them in only through a narrow window of his mind, and he almost missed the voice of his partner calling for help. His hand tightened around the railing of the balcony as he focused in.

He felt no sense of Matt amidst the crowd, and thought for a moment about leaving his partner to clean up whatever mess she had created. Stay on target, he thought to himself. It wasn't like she'd come to help him, would she? Probably not.

His eyes flicked to a flash of orange that he spotted across the arena racing zone.

Matt...

I found Matt. I'm going after him. North exit: section 241, he replied to her as he started moving quickly. He was far behind Matt now, and there was still a possibility that he would lose the man. It was probably too much to hope that Aza would manage to cut him off.

Although with that being said, Azathoth's luck was at least improving. After her second kill, no one immediately came inside. With the noise of the racing and the cheering crowd, it seemed no one had come to investigate the screaming, which might afford the Sith a few moments to escape before everything fell apart.

 

[Azathoth]

Aza couldn't help but let out a sigh of mild annoyance. Although, all things considered, she probably shouldn't have been surprised. Men were almost always entirely useless especially in times when they had the smallest chance to prove otherwise. At least she knew that Corax was willing to let her communicate with him through the force. She had half expected to meet little more than a brick wall in that regard given his general demeanor matched one in pretty much all facets.

Releasing her annoyance into the ether so that she could turn her attention to the more important task at hand, Aza let the force flow through her and slowly encircle her body, engulfing her in its embrace as her focus intensified. Force cloak was a power she was familiar with albeit not a master, but given her... proclivities and appearance, sometimes it was important to move through spaces as nearly invisible as she could manage.

Luckily, she received the few minutes of non-interruption she needed for the power to work to the fullest of her ability. Moving to the door, she pulled it open with silent grace as she slipped out. No one seemed to notice her as she started moving through the crowds, the force doing its job and letting others see through her.

She caught the glimpse of orange that Corax had seen, and since there was no one to notice her, she was able to move through the crowds with ample swiftness. Taking an the opposite route of Corax, Aza would let her force cloak drop just as Matt was going to cross her path, effectively putting herself as a roadblock in front of him while her partner could close in from behind.

Now, now little mouse. Now is not the time to scurry back to your burrow. She said with a smirk, tilting her head to a nearby empty table. How about we get you a drink to calm those nerves, my friend and I would like to speak with you.

Aza could tell that Matt was straddling the border of trying to bolt and accepting his fate. Hopefully Corax showing up would show him that he really didn't have a choice in the matter.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

See, everything had worked out in the end. As Vander pushed his way through the crowd of people and reached out to subtley grab Matt's arm as he was so shocked by Azar's appearance that he didn't notice the assassin. In fact, Vander's mind lingered on that for a moment: it could be a useful combination in the future: she distracts and he stabs.

You're not trying to stab this one, he reminded himself.

Yeah, let's take a few moments to have a drink, he said.

Look, man, I didn't sign up for... he started, but Vander cut him off.

Yes you did. Look, that was just some bad luck. You're the one who picked this place, remember? Maybe in the future you won't pick something because that's what they'd do in the holos, yeah? he asked.

Matt seemed to relent after that, allowing Vander to steer him out of the crowded space and toward a private table at the bar.

He let Matt slide into the booth and Aza as well. Why don't you see what he can tell us about our neighbors. I'm going to have a look around. Channel 21.23, he said, referencing his comlink channel so that he could listen in on the conversation.

Something was still... bothering him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it gave him the impression they were being... hunted. He didn't like it, and decided it better if they weren't all in the same place.

He shot Aza a glance that said something was amiss and to keep her eyes open before slipping off elsewhere in the bar.

 

[Azathoth]

Aza nodded curtly at Corax, dialing her comm to the specified channel but saying little else to his suggestion. She was all for keeping an eye on things, but it was beginning to seem like the guy was overly cautious. No, cautious wasn't the right word. Paranoid was probably a more apt description.

Not wanting her annoyance to spook Matt more than he already was - the man was damn near visibly shaking at this point - Aza let a comforting smile slip onto her face as she waved down a passing by serving droid. She grabbed two glass filled with dark amber liquid and slid one over to Matt.

Aza also pulled out a pack of cigarettes and popped two out, sticking one between her lips and lighting it with a small flip lighter. Taking a long drag, Aza held the tip of the other one to hers, lighting it before handing it over to Matt who took it without a second thought and started huffing it down like it was the last smoke he was ever going to have.

So let's get down to business, She said idly, swirling her drink so that the little ice cubes tinked against the glass. She took a quick swig from it before setting it back down. Why're you looking for a meeting with the likes of me and my friend?

Matt's nerves looked to be calming a bit. He'd already finished the cigarette - Aza motioned toward the pack indicating he could have as many as he needed - and the liquor was doing its thing. After a few silent moments the guy looked at Aza and finally seemed like he was going to talk.

I got my hands on some pretty heavy stuff, He said between drags of the smoke. I'm talking some big secrets here, man. Imperial secrets.

Aza's nostrils flared in annoyance that Matt would be so brazen in saying the word Imperial out loud. Her eyes darted from side to side looking for people dropping eaves, but it didn't seem like anyone was really paying attention to them. She did notice someone running out of the bathroom and throwing up in a nearby trashcan, which made her smirk just a little.

You have my interest, She said, even it if it wasn't particularly true. Aza didn't much care about whatever Matt was peddling, figuring it was some sort of military secrets or something mundane like that. She was sure that there were some Sith who would chomp at the bit for something like that, Corax probably among them, but that really wasn't her area of expertise.

Must have been dangerous to acquire something like that. Are you desperate, Matt? She asked, her eyebrow raising in thinly veiled judgement. I suppose you could just be stupid, but I'm hoping that isn't the case.

Aza turned her attention back to her drink for a moment before raising her comm, wondering what Corax was currently up to.

You catch all of that? Thoughts? She asked, not even really sure where her friend had gotten off to. He was slippery and she kind of liked that. Or are you too busy chasing ghosts in the crowd.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

How dare she imply that he was paranoid? It wasn't paranoia if they were really after you.

Vander listened as he walked through the crowd, the cold winds of darkness blowing through the whole crowd. They may not all have had murder in their hearts at the moment, but they were all the kind of people who gave off the vibes of darkness. It made it far too difficult to just rely on the Force as a warning.

As it turned out, things weren't going to get better.

He listened in on the information that Matt detailed, a bit skeptical that it could be anywhere near as large as what he was trying to sell it as. Most of the times, these tips turned out to be nothing, and Vander... decided not to hold his breath.

Still, if the guy could actually get them past ISB and into Imperial space that was a plus. Not that there weren't ways inside, but a route that could allow them easy bypass past blockades and the like... it would be nice.

Sounds real good. Guess we'll see if he delivers, he said, finally reappearing almost out of thin air and speaking the last few words in person.

Let's get back to your ship. We can talk more there, he suggested, shooting her a glance to see how she'd take that suggestion. It'd be fine.

@Logan

 

[Azathoth]

Unlike their good friend Matt, Aza didn't jump when Corax seemed to suddenly appear from the shadows and start talking. Mostly it was due to wanting to seem as calm and serene in front of Matt - at this point, Aza was convinced the guy was going to just bolt from this meeting at any time - but she also couldn't bear to let Corax think he was able to get the drop on her.

Nice of you to rejoin us, dear friend, She said to Corax without looking at him, Aza instead not letting her gaze drop from Matt. She wanted him to feel safe among them, though she might have inadvertently been looking at him more like a kath hound eyes its prey.

And I agree. Less prying eyes and open ears there, She added, sliding from her seat and motioning for Matt to follow suit. Lead the way.

Yeah, a-alright. Matt said, the nervousness evident in his voice. It's not far. Make sure no one follows us.

Matt would lead them out of the race track, his eyes darting every which way as he did so, the guy as jittery as a newborn hare. Once they got back out on the street Aza expected him to run - he didn't, much to her surprise - and as they wove through the crowds Matt lead them to a dilapidated dock a couple of blocks down the way.

Somehow, this area was even shittier than where they had come from, but at least they'd gotten there without much trouble. Matt lead them to a plain looking freighter and as they approached, the ramp dropped down and Aza followed him up into the ship.

The inside was just as plain as the outside - though, noticeably dirtier, much to her chagrin - and Matt lead them to the lounge area where he grabbed a bottle of alcohol and didn't bother finding a cup.

So what's the info worth to ya? Matt asked them in between swigs from the bottle. And I'm only looking for creds, to be clear. I need enough to find some place to hide for awhile. This shit didn't come easy.

Azathoth wasn't particularly fond of Matt at this point and the disdain showed plainly on her face. He lacked tact and his skittishness was beginning to lose its charm. Her gaze shifted to Corax, curious to hear his opinion since he couldn't just dip out on her here and let her do all of the talking this time. No where to chase ghosts on board a ship.

Plus, she hadn't brought her wallet. So if it was credits Matt was looking for, she wasn't going to be of much use.

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Oh yes, Aza's gaze was more like eyeing a piece of meat rather than anything that made Matt feel good about things. Even Vander looked down at that gaze and resisted the momentary urge to snap his fingers in front of her face to snap her gaze away.

They ended up making their way back to Matt's ship and he seemed to become a bit more comfortable now that he was back to somewhere that he knew. Somewhere where he didn't seem to be stalked at all times. Of course, it was bold of Aza to assume that Vander couldn't be looking for ghosts in a place like this. There was the possibility of wires or people sneaking up in the docking bay. There was the possibility that this was all a trap that Matt had laid as well. That Matt was just one big fake and actually had a grand plan or was an ISB plant.

The revelation that Matt wanted "out" was a bit of a problem because Vander very much wanted Matt "in". Part of the strength of having a radar tech was having them in place where they could mess with things and cause problems.

We could kill him, threaten him, give him what he wants. Do I think he's going to be an inch and miler? he thought to himself. His eyes flicked back and forth evaluatively between Aza and Matt.

But why? he asked. You're safe where you are and the Empire has no idea what you're doing, he said.

You can live a comfortable life there and you can make some credits on the side, he said. The truth was that Vander was prepared to pay for the information, but certainly not in the amounts that Matt was talking about.

Nah, man, I want out. Too much iron fist and looking over my shoulder, he said, and Vander couldn't help but think that things might not be much different for Matt on a Sith world. Sith worlds weren't known for their overwhelming hospitality.

He reached out to the Force, sensing the resoluteness in Matt's words and knowing it was going to be a problem.

Besides, I'm sure the Empire would love to know that a couple of Sith were poking around the borders looking for a way to bypass inspection, he said, smirking slightly as if he held all the cards. Yeah, this was why he was a radar tech and not something higher up... he wasn't exactly a Rhodes scholar.

What is the worth of a single mortal's life? he heard the question in his head again.

You want to give us the information, he said, waving his hand. It was a temporary solution, but at least it got the data in their hands before... what came next.

I want to give you the data, he repeated before reaching down the front of his pants to fish around for the datachip.

Ugh... yeah, I'm not touching that, he thought to himself, motioning for Aza to take it.

Without further warning, Vander's knife was in his hands and swinging, buzzing to life in his hand and slitting Matt's throat in a quick blow.

We can strip the ship for resources and scuttle it somewhere. Make it crash and look like an accident, he said.

 

[Azathoth]

It was greatly amusing to Aza when Matt started speaking like he had the upper hand in the situation he found himself in. It was fairly obvious that he hadn't considered the quagmire he had wandered into. People outside of his ship were already looking to kill him - for what reason, they hadn't quite gotten to yet, though it was probably irrelevant at this point - and he was now alone, out of sight of anyone who might be willing to help him, with two slowly coiling vipers.

Before she had the chance to burst the guy's bubble, she felt the glimmer of the force come from Corax and smirked slyly when she realized what he was doing. Mind tricks were commonly known to only work on the weak minded, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that Matt fell firmly into that category the more he ran his mouth.

Of course, the sudden appearance of a blade and the spray of blood from Matt's neck did catch her by slight surprise. Ha, just when she was starting to think her friend was little more than a paranoid bore. How exciting.

Azathoth wiped a few droplets of Matt's blood from her face, feeling a content sort of pleasure from its warmth.

Nicely done, Aza said, her tone one of genuine compliment. Something that was quite rare for her to be sure. Sounds like you have some experience in murdering people and looting their stuff. Didn't strike me as the type, but I'm glad to be wrong.

Bending down, Aza rifled through Matt's pockets for anything interesting and came up with little other than a couple of small credit chits. Taking out a knife of her own, she chopped of the guy's hand and brought it with her to the front of the ship in case it had any security features that needed a finger print.

And unsurprisingly, it did. Slapping the hand onto the console, Aza started flipping through the ship's navcomputer, looking for any previous destinations tat seemed interesting.

The ship's security codes look relatively recent. Could be useful to have, at least in the short term. Are you looking for anything in particular on this rust bucket or are we just hoping to get lucky? She asked idly, her attention focused mostly on anything in the ship's computer.

What information did he give you, anyway?

@Phoenix

 

[Vander]

Vander glanced back at Eldritch as she seemed to get all excited about the blood on her face, the sensation... characteristic in the Force. She also went on to compliment him about his killing, and he just... wasn't really sure what to make out of that.

She's like... a genuine sadist, isn't she? Probably gets off on being covered in blood or something, he thought to himself. Of course, he didn't say that out loud.

I'm full of surprises, he assured her. Paranoid? Unbelievably so, but... well, it was for this exact reason. When you went around killing people without any warning you tend to assume that someone else is going to want to do the same to you at some point. The fact that more Sith weren't more paranoid was somewhat surprising.

And then she was chopping off Matt's hand and for a moment Vander almost felt bad for Matt. Then the thought passed like a fleeting shadow.

Clearance codes, docking rights, and routes past the blockades into Imperial space, he said. In other words a path to enter Imperial space without being noticed.

I mean, take anything that's not nailed down. When the ship gets scuttled it'll all be a waste, he said with a shrug. Yes, this wasn't his first rodeo in this regard.

Vander started meandering through the ship himself taking what simple valuables he could find.

We shouldn't stick around for too long, he said. The process of scuttling the ship would be a pain, but it was effective. As they would begin to have the ship lift off, Vander's thoughts turned to his partner.

How'd you join the Sith? he asked. She certainly seemed like she fit, but he wasn't sure if she was like this and thus joined the Sith or if she was a Sith and was turned into this.

@Logan

 

[Azathoth]

I'll look forward to seeing what others you are hiding, Aza said with a smirk, though it would be clear it was decidedly non-flirtatious and more genuine interest in seeing Vander slice open more throats.

As she continued to fiddle through the various computers and databanks she could access quickly in the cockpit, Aza sighed with mild disinterest at the revelations of what Matt had given her partner. She was hoping for something more juicy, more.. worth her time, but she figured someone as pragmatic as Vander seemed to be would find great value in data she would discard without a second thought as a failed venture.

The ship took off without any issue or fanfare, scooting out of the docking bay as it puttered and rocked, displaying its relative shittiness that fell in line with its previous owner. She supposed it shouldn't have been a surprise, Matt didn't exactly give off the vibe of someone who owned anything that wasn't a giant piece of shit.

Pulled from slave cage when I was a child, she said in response to Vander's question. I was a stowaway trying to get away from my home and ended up getting caught. Luckily it was a Sith who'd procured the slaves and he sensed that I was a cut above the typical slave. She said the story with the nonchalance of someone reciting what they'd had for breakfast. Sometimes I wonder what became of the slaves, but if their life was worth anything they wouldn't have been in that situation to begin with, I suppose.


The ship settled into hyperspace nicelay, the white and blue streaks of the slipstream screaming past the viewports. Where they were going Aza hadn't paid much attention to, somewhere where no one would notice the ship being scuttled, far away enough from the Wheel and Imperial space that no would would ever find it or its handless former owner.

What about you? She asked, finally turning away from the consoles and letting her attention fall back onto Vander. And you should give me the real story, not whatever one you likely made up to tell people so you can stay aloof and mysterious and boring.

@Phoenix