Open Charlotte's Hollow

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

The Sith were changing. Rapidly, the Sith Eternal became something else. As the Sith transformed, so did Charlotte Le’Anna. Unfortunately, she knew very little of the changing nature of the Darkness. Her life had been consumed with rebuilding what her mother had taken from her. Slowly she rebuilt the name of House Le’Anna. It required careful precision. Her fellow Hapan Nobles could not know her ties to the Sith. The Consortium detested Force users and her talents would be seen as a stain. Charlotte’s twin lives made it difficult for her to keep abreast of the news. She knew Art was no longer just a Lord on Serenno, she knew Andruil was becoming increasingly difficult to reach, and she knew her own goals were so close.

The ties that bound her to the Queen of Dathomir were unbreakable, magic she did not understand. She would not betray the Queen, but she could seek aid elsewhere. Charlotte stalked the grounds of the Le’Anna Estate outside Ta’a Chume’Dan. The resources provided by Andruil and Art had allowed her to repair most of the damage her mother did. The place was no longer falling apart, still it was a far cry from what it could be. Charlotte had sought aid from the most logical of places. One Councilor she counted an ally, why not two? She had very very politely inquired if Lord Stolas would be interested in covertly meeting with her regarding the changes in her life.

Shockingly, he had agreed. She waited for the renowned Sith Lord now, pacing back and forth before the manor. She was not nervous. Her dance with Raze had banished that foolishness from her but she was anxious. She knew Stolas not at all and had no idea what to expect. He was formidable and she needed formidable. That much she knew

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Stolas was sometimes a difficult Sith to predict. Rank didn't often dictate what he chose to himself over curious whimsy. In this case the message from Charlotte had been so polite he'd almost said no out of irritation, but curiosity got the better of him and he made his way.

Landing without detection and slipping into a homestead wasn't too difficult for the experienced Sith who'd often specialized in that sort of work. Of course Charlotte knew he was coming but things were meant to be covert. It helped most outside the Order, and even many within, hadn't personally seen his face.

While his footsteps when he arrived at the meeting point were quiet his presence did flare slightly as a greeting so the Hapan woman wasn't confused as to who'd just shown up in her manor garden. Something about the perpetual daylight of Hapes annoyed the Firrerreo but at least the weather was nice.

With no ceremony at all he found a garden bench and adjusted his tailored robes cut in the local fashion to not be sitting on them. At a glance he passed for human most of the time, at least until he started grinning.

"Crown for your thoughts?"

@Valen Pelora

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

Charlotte felt the flare of Lord Stolas against her sense. The intentional flick of the Force was quickly followed by the man himself. He was a terror to the galaxy at large. A war criminal capable of the most heinous acts. His presence in the Force was dark and deep, a bottomless ocean of potential. But to look at Lord Stolas now, he appeared so perfectly ordinary. Handsome…certainly…well dressed…of course…but not the hammer of an Empire. Charlotte again found herself considering just how careful the Lord of the Sith crafted their images. There was a lesson to be learned.

The Hapan Sith returned the smile, moving to take a seat beside Lord Stolas on the bench. She nodded respectfully as she approached. “An increasingly popular goal among our Order it seems, my Lord.” Charlotte knew of Art’s ascension. Andruil ruled Dathomir. She knew of a handful of others seeking royalty. Was she a cliché? Fuck she hoped not. “But my desire nonetheless.” Hapes presented a unique opportunity. A chance to remove a powerful military asset from the Free Worlds Alliance. She was uncertain how to proceed. “Thank you for coming my Lord.” Charlotte knew what she needed. She knew the immense talents Stolas possessed. “The time is drawing near when the Queen Mother may suffer an accident. The Empress and Lord Caelestis have aided in positioning me to benefit from such an accident but…” She paused for a moment. “Their skills do not rest as firmly in such operations as do yours my lord.”

Charlotte knew the history of Darth Stolas. The particular operations which he oversaw. He was not just the forward facing general. She was not ashamed to ask for help. It was not a weakness. “I am tied to the Empress, but I am prepared to pay any price for that crown.” Was she talking too much? Charlotte banished those insecurities. If she was to be Queen, she’d damn well act like it.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan took in the Sith woman before him, his expression not so much difficult to read as looking mildly bored in front of anything else. Hapan attire typical of their nobility, curved eyebrows above brown eyes and expressive eyes, well-cared hair, subtle but well-formed cheekbones just beneath her eyes. She smiled easily and he nearly distrusted the expression despite his own grin, solely out of habit. Nobles were not people to be trusted. Ironically.

Charlotte spoke and Morgan listened. He didn't directly look at her when she spoke but rather panned his gaze around the sunlit garden, streaks of yellow-white from high above mottling in shadow between the trees to paint extravagant flowers in sharp relief. White marble marked walkways well-worn by movement twisted through seemingly disorganized paths within. A slight nod when she thanked him for his appearance, but otherwise no immediate verbal response to anything she said. That Renfry had helped did get a moment of slightly raised eyebrows. Tied? That sounded dangerous, considering Renfry was a Nightsister.

How fun.

After Charlotte finished Morgan reached into his tunic to retrieve something. "Here." He offered forward a folded rectangle of modern flimsiplast, different shades of blue with lines of gold throughout, a sharp-eyed and handsome man looking up at the woman should she unfold it.

"A Crown for your thoughts, as promised." Goldens finally looked at her, mischief clearly glinting behind them above the fanged grin.

"What sort of 'accident'?"

@Valen Pelora

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

She took the folded piece of flimsiplast, rubbing the tacky materials between her fingers. Charlotte unfolded the familiar commodity while the Sith Lord spoke. An ISC Crown…despite herself, she smiled. Her eyes remained on the Consortium currency. The Hapan Sith tipped her eyes to meet Stolas. He was mesmerizing in a certain way. Those golden eyes, the emotion flashing behind them, the smile. She felt oddly comfortable in his presence…dangerous. “Ah…President Thorne, worthy of the fans he draws. Personally, I find the Supreme Chancellor chronically underrated.” Charlotte was Hapan after all. She appreciated the advantages beauty provided.

She ran her tongue across her teeth. Thinking. “The kind of accident which would force the selection of a new Queen Mother…a new House to rule the Consortium.” Charlotte looked down at the ISC Crown again. “A Queen Mother more favorable to remaining a working member of the Free Worlds Alliance while supporting other interests.” She had given this part of the plan considerable thought. For the longest time, she assumed leaving the FWA would be most beneficially. If she could work from the inside, wouldn’t that be truly special. The plots of Hapan Nobility were always brutal. It was beautiful brutality that one must strive to achieve.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

The moment the Chancellor was mentioned right after Emryc there was a brief twitch around the Firrerreo's eyes and grin that made it, for a half-second, closer to something dangerous. No comment was made, but it was strangely enough a sore spot for Morgan given a series of events surrounding his having met the man in person. Luckily some time had passed since, but it still bothered him.

"The dead kind, then." Crippled or poisoned wouldn't do for replacement. Morgan wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush over work. He was, after all, a professional. Mostly.

A datapad with stylus was produced from his belt for note-taking, one leg crossing lazily overtop the other with a sense of utterly languid relaxation. "Hobbies, habits, ships, meal times and preferences, so on?" How convenient it would be if the Queen-Mother liked evening flights around Hapes. Morgan was probably far better at sabotaging ships than fixing them.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

“The dead kind.” Her voice was flat. It was a matter of fact. The Queen Mother had to die…really it was nothing personal. She’d learned much of the Consortium leader over the past few months. One did not survive as the unquestioned leader of Hapes for so long without being exceptionally clever. Charlotte did not underestimate the Queen Mother. Those who had done so in the past were dead. “The Queen Mother has grown extremely cautious as she has aged. She's ruled the Consortium longer than any before her. At least a dozen attempts have been made on her life, probably more.”

Her gaze shifted to the datapad. Stolas was meticulous. She still didn’t know what to think of him. “The Queen Mother loves her Battle Dragon…the Indomitable.” Charlotte laughed lightly. “It’s a little on the nose but…” She gestured around them. “So is everything in Ta’a Chume’Dan.” Now the good bit. “The secret is she leaves the Fountain Palace every night to sleep aboard the ship while it orbits Hapes. Everyone knows but no one has the stomach to strike her there…they believe it would be too obvious, leading to challenge to their succession.”

The predatory smile returned to her face. “But it is when she is most vulnerable.” The Queen Mother was skilled but not that skilled.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Morgan clearly didn't care much for the life of this random Queen Mother person he'd never met. His face didn't move an iota during Charlotte's elaboration other than a slight raising of dark brows when the current Hapan ruler's habit was brought up. This habit of hers presented a potentially profitable opportunity.

"What a boring name," he commented breezily, taking down his notes on the datapad. A soft clack indicated a full stop and he looked up again. "She isn't most vulnerable aboard her ship," something was underlined by the stylus, "But on route to it." Boarding a battle dragon would be a pain without raising an alarm. Sabotaging a shuttle was simpler.

"Would be a shame if her transport crashed. No?" He spoke as if human life had no value beyond what it could be used for, casual and almost playful. At his core, Morgan was a hunting predator. It was in his blood, nurture and nature united. Here he'd found prey. No sympathy was held for prey.

"Do you know how she reaches the Indomitable?"

@Valen Pelora

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

Now they were having fun. The Councilor’s mind worked in a way that hers did not. Charlotte styled herself a hunter, but Stolas was a finely tuned predator. A killer she could only hope to emulate. She could not help the glee that rose in her heat. Andruil had shown her much…Stolas could open her eyes to so much more.

“A tragedy for all Hapes.” Her smile grew wider. Perfectly white teeth framed by red lips. “At sunset, three Baudo-class Star Yachts leave the palace.” She paused only briefly. “The Queen Mother is on one, her consorts split between the other two.” The old men who the Queen Mother dotted on.

“The same three return her to the palace in the morning.” This was the bit she had not exactly worked out. The Royal Guard knew which yacht housed the Queen Mother. She wasn’t exactly certain how they made that communication. Rumors only got one so far. The nightly routine was widely known but the Queen Mother remained safe because of the success of the routine.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

Three separate yachts just to go into orbit? And Morgan thought he could go overboard sometimes with his ships. Of course it made sense, especially with Charlotte's further elaboration. Randomized routes among three were difficult to predict. With only two there was a strong chance of getting the right ship by pure luck. But with three?

It was very much a shell game. This was getting more interesting. Unfortunately, Morgan doubted the two of them would have much look surveilling the Queen Mother to figure out which one she'd pick night by night. If she was smart, even the pilots wouldn't know before the woman boarded the correct vessel. Naturally, simply sabotaging all three would be just little too suspicious.

"These ships are guarded?" Morgan asked, taking additional notes and writing down a series of ideas. "Who has access to the Queen Mother's wardrobe?"

@Valen Pelora

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

Charlotte at least had his attention. Hapes could be dreadfully boring on the surface, but their brutal culture provided intrigue. There was no point in denying the Queen Mother’s skill. She had survived this long for a reason. The Consortium had even prospered at her direction. Still, all things must come to an end and Queen sat in Charlotte’s seat. “Yes, by the Queen’s Supreme Commandos…her personal Royal Guard.” An elite Force if ones existed on Hapes.

“Her handmaids dress the Queen Mother. A select group of Nobles she wishes to keep close.” They were often the daughters or nieces of houses the Queen Mother feared would strike at her. A hostage without calling them a hostage. If she died, their successor died with her. A useful little tactic.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

A few more notes were taken down on the datapad, lines neatly drawn to other little points. Morgan's specialty was finding points of leverage, cracks in armour, and this proved quite useful for his particular line of work.

"Are these trained handmaidens in the Naboo fashion or not?" he asked plainly. His ability to influence another being mentally was somewhat unique but effective, especially when used subtly. Morgan didn't usually show off the subtle aspects of it but it wasn't precisely a secret, either. Getting a handmaiden to do something shouldn't be too difficult if they could get access to one and they weren't excessively warded against psychic intrusion.

The guards, on the other hand, were mildly annoying. He didn't particularly want to leave evidence behind if he could avoid it.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

“Thankfully, no.” Charlotte shrugged. “The Queen Mother like her hostages weak and pliable.” The maddening woman was going to get a very rude awakening. “She’s too paranoid to potentially train her own assassins.” Charlotte left out the part where that paranoia was rightly justified. Many of the rulers in ages passed had been killed by their own royal attendants. “A few of them may have training from their families but nothing compared to what is expected on Naboo.” The galaxy’s worst kept secret was the elite training rendered the handmaids of Naboo.

“If we can get aboard and deal with the Royal Guard, the handmaids should be a simple affair.” A sheepish grin crossed her face. “Unfortunately, many of them will likely have to join the Queen Mother in retirement.” Hapan culture permitted this violence. If your coupe was successful, your rule would be honored but the rest of the Houses would come for you. Most importantly, the assassination needed to be carried out discreetly. If it was too public and obvious your claim would be rejected. They were a high class society after all.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Stolas]

A few last things were noted down, at which point Stolas lowered his datapad. He had what he needed for the moment. There were a series of angles and openings, and now the two Sith only needed to find the cracks to slip through.

"If we can access one of her closer handmaidens, we can plant a tracker to determine which ship the Queen Mother boards," he stated simply. Mentally influencing a weak-willed and untrained soul was easy, after all. "Leaves it open either to sabotage or infiltration. I don't care which." This was Charlotte's party. Morgan wasn't an expert in Hapan politics, he just took in information and created solutions.

"Any handmaiden come to mind?"

@Valen Pelora